Cataract
A cataract is a cloudiness that develops in the natural lens inside of your eye. Most of the time this is an age-related change similar to skin wrinkles or worn out joints. When a cataract becomes cloudy enough it can cause blurry vision, reduced vision with bright lights (such as head lights), decreased contrast sensitivity, and a reduced ability to see colors. When these things start to affect your day to day life, it is time to consider treatment. The only treatment for cataracts is cataract surgery.
Cataract surgery is performed in a sterile operating room environment like other surgical procedures. The pupil is dilated, and small microincisions are made into the cornea to allow the cataract surgeon access to the cataract. A good analogy is a peanut M&M. During cataract surgery we make a small opening in the “shell” of the cataract and remove the cloudy chocolate and peanut parts to allow light to enter the eye again and improve vision. The thin shell around the cataract is left behind. A new clear artificial intraocular lens is injected into the eye and positioned into the small shell to replace the cloudy cataract. The shell holds this lens in place behind the iris.
Cataract surgery is one of the safest, least invasive surgeries available, and has a very high success rate. If you think you may need cataract surgery, or have been suffering from blurry vision, decreased vision, or difficulty seeing with bright lights, please call us for a consultation at 405-743-4212. Dr. Flood and Dr. Martin both perform cataract surgery in Stillwater at the Stillwater Surgery Center West. You may also visit our Youtube Channel or our Facebook page for other useful information on eye health and eye disease.