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5 Ways To Prepare For Cataract Surgery

Alan M. Berg, MD on June 22, 2018

Mature photographer outdoors

Cataract surgery is a common and effective method for treating cataracts. The surgery itself is not overly complicated and is done as an outpatient procedure— meaning you’ll be able to go home after the surgery without any kind of hospital stay. There are a few things to keep in mind to prepare for your surgery to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.

Ask Your Doctor Any Questions You Have About the Procedure

Before you go under the knife, you’ll want to know what exactly your doctor is going to be doing to your eyes. They will likely explain the procedure, which involves a small incision in the eye, breaking up and removing the cataract, and replacing the clouded lens with an artificial one. If you have any questions about this process and what to do beforehand and afterward, ask your doctor well in advance of your surgery date. Knowing how to care for yourself before and after the surgery is vital, and if anything is unclear to you, ask for clarification. Your cataract surgeon wants to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible before your procedure.

Tell Your Doctor What Medications You Take

It’s important for the doctor performing your surgery to know what medications you take regularly, as some can interfere with the procedure. Your doctor may ask you not to take a certain medication the day before or the day of surgery. Follow whatever instructions your doctor gives you about the medication you are taking. This is important and will reduce complications!

Take the Eye Drops Prescribed to You

Before cataract surgery, your doctor will likely prescribe eye drops to take in order to prep your eyes for surgery. Be sure to use these drops as frequently as your doctor tells you to. These drops are to prevent potential infection from the surgery, so it is very important to take them as infection can be a pain to deal with!

Arrange Transportation

It is not advisable to drive yourself to and from the procedure. Normally a numbing agent is applied to the eyes to prevent any pain during surgery, but your doctor can give you a relaxant as well. After surgery, you may not be functioning at full capacity, and the eye that has been treated will be covered and unable to see. Be sure to arrange your ride well before the surgery date so you won’t have to find someone last minute. You’ll want to relax and not worry about how you’ll get home after your surgery.

Eat and Get a Good Night’s Sleep the Night Before

Your doctor may not want you to eat up to six hours before the procedure. If the procedure is early in the day, this will mean no breakfast. It is important to eat a good meal the day before. It’s critical to get a good night’s sleep— being too sleepy the day of the procedure may make things difficult for both you and the doctor performing the procedure.

If you’re looking to have cataract surgery, contact Berg-Feinfield Vision Correction for a consultation!

How Smoking Is Negatively Impacting Your Vision

Alan M. Berg, MD on August 25, 2017

Fist Smashing Cigarettes

It is well known that smoking is the leading cause of serious health conditions that affect your lungs, heart, and much more. What most people don’t know is how smoking negatively impacts your eyes and puts you at an increased risk of developing cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and dry eye syndrome. Read more about how smoking increases the risks of developing these conditions.

Cataracts is an eye disease that causes your natural lens to cloud. Studies have shown that smoking doubles your chances of developing cataracts. These chances continue to rise as you smoke more and more. Right now Cataracts is the leading cause of blindness in the world and smoking only continues to put you at a higher risk of developing a Cataract.

Diabetic Retinopathy is a condition that occurs when there is damage to the blood vessels in the tissue at the retina. This disease occurs in people who suffer from diabetes and is the leading cause of vision loss in people who are dealing with diabetes. By smoking, you’re twice as likely to develop diabetes which puts you at risk for Diabetic Retinopathy, as well as numerous other diabetes complications.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is when your macula, the small center of the retina starts to deteriorate. When this part of your eye starts to deteriorate you start to lose your sharp, central vision making it difficult to do everyday tasks. Smoking puts you at three times the risk of developing Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Dry Eye Syndrome occurs when your eyes aren’t producing enough tears to lubricate the eye. Smoking cigarettes is known to cause dry eye because the smoke is a well-known eye irritant. When your eyes are exposed to tobacco smoke it increases your symptoms of Dry Eye which include eye redness and itchiness.

It is important to know the risks that are associated with smoking when it comes to your total health, including your eyes. By quitting smoking you can help reduce your risks of developing one of these eye conditions!

4 Things You Should Know About Cataracts

Alan M. Berg, MD on June 15, 2017

Mature Couple Watching Sunset

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world: Currently, cataracts affect more than 22 million people in the United States that are above the age of 40. Worldwide there are more cataract cases than macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy combined according to Prevent Blindness America (BPA).

There are several symptoms of cataracts: When you first start experiencing the symptoms of cataracts they may only be affecting a small portion of your lens causing you to be unaware of the vision loss that you are incurring. As the cataract increases in size, this may result in side effects such as:

• Blurry, clouded vision
• Difficulty with night vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Seeing bright colors as faded or yellow
• Seeing double of things

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above it is important to take the first step and schedule an appointment for an eye exam.

Surgery is the only proven treatment for cataract: As of right now, the only way to treat a cataract is by surgery. During this procedure, your natural, cloudy lens will be removed and replaced with an artificial, clear lens. The good news with this is that cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure. After surgery, you will be in a recovery area for around 30 minutes and then you will be released and able to return home the same day.

Cataracts surgery is extremely effective: Although surgery is currently the only option to treat cataracts, it was reported by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) that the overall success rate of this procedure is 98 percent with over 3 million people undergoing this procedure every year.

What are Cataracts? When Should You Contact an Eye Doctor?

Alan M. Berg, MD on May 24, 2017

When the eyes natural lens becomes clouded with clumped up proteins then you are developing cataracts. These clumped proteins block light from entering the eye, which causes your vision to become increasingly blurrier over time and if left unresolved will result in the complete loss of your vision.

Clouded lenses will negatively impact your quality of life because you will be unable to drive, read, or do many other things that you would regularly do.

Cataracts typically develop pretty slowly and in the beginning, you likely will not even notice a difference in your vision. Over time, however, your sight will begin to get worse. Interestingly, there are times during the cataract development phase where your vision might even appear to be clearer, but if this happens it will likely only be for a short amount of time.

In the beginning, you can counteract the negative effects to your vision from cataracts with good lighting and prescription glasses, but you will need to eventually undergo a cataract surgery to completely remove the effects of cataracts from your vision. If not removed, the cataract will only grow larger and continue to cloud your vision worse and worse until your lens is completely blocked by proteins and you will no longer be able to see.

When should you call your eye doctor?

The only real way to cataracts early is by having routine eye exams with a trained eye doctor. Only a professional eye doctor can ensure your eyes remain in tip top shape and detect cataracts. If you experience a rapid decline in vision then you should immediately consult your eye care doctor and schedule an eye exam as this could be indicative of cataracts or other possible eye disease that requires medical attention.

Cataracts: Why They Occur and When You Should Call Your Eye Doctor

Alan M. Berg, MD on July 13, 2016

Cataracts occur when the eyes natural lens becomes clouded with clumped up proteins. These proteins block light as it enters your eye which causes your vision to become gradually more blurry and if left unchecked could result in complete loss of vision.

These clouded lenses negatively impact your quality of life by making it difficult to read or drive a car—particularly when you are driving at night—among many other things.

Cataracts for the most part develop very slowly, in the beginning of your cataract development you wont even be able to notice a difference in your vision, but over time your sight will get worse. Oddly, with cataracts there is a point where your vision will become much better, but this is very brief and then the quality of your sight will drop dramatically.

You will be able to counteract the negative effects cataracts have on your vision at first with proper lighting and strong eyeglasses, but eventually you will need to undergo cataract surgery to assure you don’t go blind and maintain a good quality of life. If not removed, the cataract will continue to grow larger and cloud more and more of your eyes natural lens.

When is a good time to call my eye doctor?

Well, the best way to catch cataracts early is to schedule your routine eye exams so your eye doctor can take a look and ensure your eyes are in tip top shape. If you notice a sudden dramatic slip in vision however you should consult your eye doctor immediately.

Cataracts Affect More Than Just The Elderly

Alan M. Berg, MD on February 10, 2016

Cataract Illustration

Cataracts are the number one causes of blindness in the world. The first thing you probably think of when you hear the word “cataracts” is the elderly. It is understandable why that would be the case, because cataracts are most commonly seen in the elderly, but you don’t need to be elderly to develop them—in fact, babies can be born with cataracts.

While rare, cataracts have been seen in newborns—it is estimated that between 3 and 4 children per every 10,000 are born with or will develop congenital cataracts. There are multiple causes for this, but the most common include: trauma, metabolic dysfunction, and infections developed while in utero.

In a healthy eye, light enters the eye through the cornea and passes through the lens, which then focuses the light onto the retina, which finally relays the information through your optic nerve into your brain. A cataract is the clouding of your eyes natural lens. The cataract blocks light coming into the eye thus not allowing the eyes lens to focus the light properly, which in turn causes blindness.

There are a multitude of reasons why you might develop cataracts before the age of 45. The most common reasons people develop cataracts at a younger age are: diet, medication usage, other health issues, physical trauma, and over exposure to UV rays. It is important to protect your vision, because it can be damaged easier than you think.

Detecting cataracts early in those who begin to develop them early is essential in protecting their vision for the future. If left untreated, your eyes will not develop correctly and you will have vision problems the rest of your life. Make sure to schedule regular eye exams with your eye doctor to ensure your eyes are in good health.