Cataracts are a natural clouding of our eyes lens. Our lens is located inside the eye, just behind our pupil.
Think of your eyes natural lens like a clear, transparent, peanut M&M. Slowly, over time, any one or any combination of those layers of the peanut M&M become cloudy and hazy. Your eye’s cataract may grow more dense and spoke-like in the diffuse center of your lens (the chocolate layer of the peanut M&M) , or maybe more diffuse within the central core or your lens (the peanut portion), or it may grow inspicated on the thin outer layer (the candy coating). No matter what type of cataract your eye’s natural lens produces, cataract surgery is all relatively the same.
Cataract surgery involves tiny incision in the side of your eye to gain excess to your eyes cloudy natural lens, your cataract. Once the surgeon reaches your cataract, it is broken up into tiny, almost liquid like pieces using a laser or ultra sound device. Once your eye’s cataract (the cloudy lens) is broken down into tiny pieces, it is removed from your eye. The second, seamless phase, involves replacing your eye’s natural lens with a synthetic lens, so that your eye can focus incoming light once again. Your new, clear, synthetic, lens is tiny, and inserted into the exact same location your cloudy natural lens was just removed from.
Today, there are many synthetic lens implants to choose from. The lens implant you and your surgeon choose, will dictate what focal point in your day-to-day life will be most clear without the use of glasses. The three main focal points we use throughout the day are:
- Near vision. We read books, magazines, menus, view our watches and our cellphones and tablets using our near vision.
- Intermediate vision. We utilize our computers, chat with our friends and family, cook, play cards, and view our speedometers and navigation devices using our intermediate vision.
- Distance vision. We drive, golf, play tennis, see friends and family from across the room, look at a clock, look out the window, watch TV and movies using our distance vision.
We each use our eyes for various tasks throughout the day. You and your surgeon should have a through discussion about your specific daily visual needs prior to selecting the right synesthetic lens implant for you.
