Over 24.4 million Americans age 40 years and older suffer from cataracts. More than half the population will have at least one cataract by the age of 80. We want to help you learn more about this vision concern and how you can reclaim your sight.
What Are Cataracts?
Cataracts are a common eye problem, usually age-related, that causes the lens of the eye to become cloudy. As that cloudiness continues to prevent light from passing through the lens to your retina, you may experience increasingly blurry vision or see images that appear faded or discolored.
Other cataract symptoms include:
- Seeing either glare around objects or a ring known as a halo
- Deteriorating night vision
- Double vision
In addition to age, cataracts may be caused by trauma, diabetes, steroid use, genetics or radiation, or they may surface as a secondary problem following unrelated eye surgery.
Your Cataract Treatment Options
It’s important to monitor your eyesight and catch symptoms as soon as possible because early detection gives you the best access to noninvasive treatment options. Switching to a new eyeglass prescription or lenses with anti-glare coatings may help; brighter lighting and magnifying lenses are also beneficial in some cases. But, if your cataracts have progressed to the point of vision loss, surgery may be the only way forward.
Cataract removal is a common operation and is both safe and remarkably effective when performed by a qualified, experienced surgeon.
Illinois Eye Center’s IOLs
At IEC, we’re proud to offer three types of cataract-correcting intraocular lens implants (IOLs) designed to replace your faulty lens and help restore your vision.
- Monofocal Lens Implant: Aimed at improving distance vision, but you may still need glasses to clearly view near and intermediately located objects.
- Toric Lens Implant: Designed to correct both cataracts and astigmatism in one procedure.
- Multifocal Lens Implants:A premium lens for people suffering from presbyopia designed to improve full range of vision and decrease dependency on all eyeglasses, including reading glasses, bifocals and trifocals.
To learn more about cataracts and the intraocular lens implants offered by our team at Illinois Eye Center, download our free guide.