Cataract Surgery and Post Cataract Surgery Adaptation

Suffering from blurry vision? Have you been experiencing a decrease in vision lately? Even if you already wear glasses, it is recommended to check up on your eye doctor every now and then just to keep track of any eyesight alterations. As you get older, such a decrease may stem from a cataract. A cataract is an opacification of the lens of the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light and more. Cataracts are known to be pretty common with age, with more than half of all Americans aged 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to get rid of cataracts.

Although they can substantially affect your eyesight, cataracts are rarely dangerous. With that being said, they do cause an undeniable discomfort and may affect your everyday life severely. Lucky enough, cataracts can be removed surgically, with a relatively easy, quick procedure. During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens inside your eye will be removed and replaced with a clear artificial lens. The new lens helps restore the clear vision you had before the cataracts developed. If you need surgery in both eyes, it is typically recommended to wait one to three weeks between procedures to give the first eye a chance to heal.

A standard cataract surgery typically only takes about 15 minutes, but you can expect to be at the surgical center for around 90 minutes or longer, since extra time is needed for preparation, along with a post-operative evaluation and recovery instructions. You will need to have someone drive you home after cataract surgery, as your eyes will be sensitive and may feel some sort of discomfort and pressure. To protect your eyes from sunlight and other bright light as your eye recovers, you will be given a special pair of post-operative glasses.

Despite cataract surgery being a common procedure yielding great results, there might be some post-surgery effects following this procedure. Post cataract blurry vision is one of them, but it is considered to be a normal symptom appearing for a few days after surgery. There are times when this symptom isn’t fading away as expected, often taking months or even years to heal. What causes blurred vision after cataract surgery, then? This occurs when the lens capsule, the membrane that wasn’t removed during surgery and supports the lens implant, becomes cloudy and impairs your vision. When left untreated, it is even possible for patients to experience blurred vision 2 years after cataract surgery.

Finally, how could one go about shortening the adaptation period after cataract surgery? While it is always recommended and right for you to follow up with your surgeon and eye doctor to evaluate your progress and healing process, there are few innovative treatment approaches available out there, including a computer program training that focuses on strengthening visual acuity through presenting unique visual stimuli. If you feel like you could use such a solution, do not hesitate to consult with your doctor.