Cataracts

Clouding Your Vision

Understanding Your Cataracts

Cataracts are a common condition that nearly everyone develops at some point in their lives. They are a clouding and hardening of the lens that sits inside your eye and focuses light on your retina. A normal, healthy lens is flexible and changes shape slightly when you adjust your eyes’ focus, allowing you to see things that are both up close and far away. As you age, however, the lens naturally grows less flexible and gets cloudy. Over time, this change in your lens inhibits your vision and makes it more difficult for you to see clearly—and if the cataracts advance far enough, they could prevent you from seeing at all.

Diagnosing Your Symptoms

Because cataracts form so slowly, you may or may not notice symptoms until they’ve started significantly inhibiting your vision. Typically, you notice your vision seems cloudier and blurrier than normal. Colors may seem faded or more yellowed. Your night vision will decrease, and you may notice “halos” around lights. Bright lights and glare may inhibit your vision more than normal as well. You might end up changing your glasses prescription relatively frequently to try to compensate for the blurriness.

Time for Surgery?

Elderly man with cataracts.

Cataracts aren’t something you can prevent, and there is only one way to correct them: surgery. There are no medications or supplements that can slow or stop the progression of cataracts. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about them, however. Once the lenses start getting noticeably cloudy, experts like Dr. Ed Leuschner, Dr. Bryan Huffman, and Dr. Peter Bast will monitor their progression and how they affect your vision. When they reach a point that they are inhibiting your sight, no matter your age, you can have surgery.

Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed and safest in the U.S. Our experienced cataract surgeons will carefully remove your natural lens, then replace it with an artificial lens that is designed to specifically fit your eye and vision needs. This not only eliminates the cloudiness in your vision, it can reduce your need for glasses and help improve your sight overall. Best of all, the procedure is quick, and painless with an easy recovery.

Cataracts affect everyone at different times, but eventually the cloudy vision will start limiting your life. Catching them early means you can monitor their progress, then take care of them when you are ready. Don’t let cloudy vision catch you by surprise or keep you from living a full, independent life. Make an appointment to have your cataracts evaluated today by calling Sight Eye Clinic in Zeeland, MI, at (616) 772-2020.

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