Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery has undergone tremendous technological advances since the days of your parents and grandparents. This year, millions of patients will choose to have both their vision and their lifestyles improved, thanks to this life-changing medical procedure. Dr. Bunin is on the forefront of cataract surgery, and was one of the first doctors in the area to be certified in the most modern surgical techniques.

The good news is that you’ve encountered cataracts at a time when intraocular lens technology has taken a giant leap forward. No longer is the objective simply to improve your distance vision. Today, the goal is to enhance your vision with an intraocular lens (IOL) that may provide you with a full range of vision, thus – minimizing your dependence on reading glasses or bifocals.

Once you understand what a cataract is, how it will be removed, and how your vision may be improved with the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL, your concern about your diagnosis could actually turn into excitement.

The eye works like a camera. Light entering the camera lens is focused on film at the back of the camera.

Your eye also has a lens. Light entering the eye is focused by the clear natural lens onto the retina (similar to the film) at the back of the eye, and then the optic nerve sends the images to the brain for interpretation.

A cataract is a “clouding” of the natural lens inside your eye. The human lens, made mostly of protein and water, can become clouded – so clouded it keeps light and images from reaching the retina. Eye injury, certain diseases, or even some medications can cause the clouding. But, in over 90% of cases, clouding is caused by the aging process and exposure to UV light over your lifetime.

A cataract is not a “film” over the eye, and neither diet nor lasers will make it go away. Clouding of different parts of the lens can affect your vision in different ways.

A cataract can be the reason sharp images become blurred, bright colors become dull, or seeing at night is more difficult. People with cataracts have more trouble seeing clearly at dawn, dusk, in the rain, or in bright sun or snow. It may also be why the reading glasses or bifocals that used to help you read, or do other simple tasks, no longer seem to help. Cataracts can develop slowly, causing very gradual changes on vision, or can grow quickly, causing vision changes over weeks to months.

Almost everyone will develop cataracts if they live long enough. Typically, people over 50 have some degree of cataract, and most people over age seventy have significant changes from cataract that affect their daily functioning, particularly driving—yet they may not be aware of the changes if they happen slowly.

There are not a lot of treatment options available for cataracts. If it has not matured to the point of interfering with your ability to safely perform your daily activities, we may just want to monitor the cataract’s progression with regular check-ups, and more frequent changes in your eyeglass prescription to refocus your eyes. If stronger glasses or an antireflective coating on the glasses will help, we prescribe those for you. But unfortunately, cataracts are progressive and cannot be prevented. But removing the cataract and replacing it with an artificial lens may improve your vision and, in many ways, significantly improve your quality of life. The time to have your cataracts removed is when the quality of your vision begins to put limits on your activities and enjoyment of life.

When your eyes were young, your natural lens was both transparent and flexible. Because of this, your vision was most likely stable until you reached your forties. Around that time, you may have noticed that you had to hold a menu or a book farther and farther away to read it. Many people end up wearing a pair of reading glasses or bifocals to compensate for this aging of the eye. This condition is called “presbyopia” and eventually affects everyone, including those who are nearsighted, farsighted, have cataracts, or had perfect vision most of their life.

Intraocular lenses were first introduced in 1949 and are available today in all kinds of, shapes, sizes, and lens materials. AcrySof® IOLs are made of the first foldable material developed exclusively for use in the eye. With more than 25 million lenses implanted, the AcrySof® lens is the most commonly used IOL in the world, since they became available in 1994. Its popularity is largely due to their ability to provide excellent visual results and a high level of patient satisfaction.

Until recently, most patients had their vision improved with a monofocal IOL which can only focus at one point, usually at distance. Although the quality of their distance vision was excellent, most patients still needed reading glasses to see near objects.

The AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL

For most cataract patients, life without reading glasses or bifocals is something they either experienced before presbyopia or they just dreamed about. But today, the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL is turning those dreams into reality for many patients with its revolutionary Apodized Diffractive lens technology, which is designed to allow patients to see clearly at all distances. AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL provides a full range of vision, decreasing dependency on reading glasses or bifocals.

In the clinical study, 80% of patients receiving the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL reported that they “never” needed to wear glasses following bilateral cataract surgery. With the AcrySof® RESTOR® IOL they can read a book, work on the computer, and drive a car – day or night – and play golf or tennis with a increased freedom from glasses. In fact, patients were so pleased with their vision, nearly 94% of patients said they would have the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL implanted again. (Note: If you have astigmatism, you will need to have that corrected separately. Talk to Dr. Bunin about your options).

Cataract surgery is one of the most common procedures performed. It is typically an outpatient procedure requiring only a small amount of time. Patients are also generally able to return to their daily activities shortly after their cataract surgery, through the same tiny incision.

The AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL is then unfolded and set into its permanent position.

After the procedure you’ll rest for a short while before you go home. You’ll need to use prescription eye drops to guard against infection and help your eye heal. For a few days, you may need to wear a protective shield, especially at night to prevent you from rubbing your eye. Dr. Bunin will typically examine your eye within 24 hours.

Everyone heals somewhat differently, but most patients see well enough to return to most of their routine activities the day after surgery.

Once both eyes have been treated, you may fully appreciate the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL and realize that your cataract was one thing you could definitely live without.

As with any surgical procedure, there are inherent risks and your results cannot be guaranteed. Dr. Bunin will be giving you additional information on the risks and the benefits prior to having surgery to help you decide if cataract surgery and the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL are right for you.

Contact Us or call Dr. Bunin today at (610) 435-5333 to see what she can do for you!

Design by Graphic Studio