Signs and symptoms of a cataract may include:
- Blurry or foggy vision
- Colors seem dull or muted
- Details are hard to see
- Eyeglasses no longer working
- Light seems overly bright or glaring
- More light is needed for reading
- Night vision decreasing
- Seeing halos around lights
If you've been told you have a cataract, Dr. Lawrence C. Chao offers Cataract Consults and Second Opinions at Chao Vision Institute.
Cataract removal surgery is generally a simple, outpatient procedure with little discomfort, requiring only a few hours, and a topical anesthetic. The goal is to break the old, cloudy natural lens into pieces, remove the pieces from the eye and insert a replacement intraocular lens to replace the natural lens.
Millions of people every year undergo cataract surgery, one of the safest and most successful procedures performed today. After cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation, objects you couldn't see clearly can be bright, clear, and vivid again. For many people, they haven't seen life so clearly in years.
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved. You and your eye doctor should consider the potential risk and benefits, and determine if cataract surgery, laser cataract surgery, or refractive lens exchange is right for you.