Can I Delay Cataract Surgery if My Vision is Still Okay?
August 20, 2024
By the age of forty, many people have already started to develop cataracts. While the only way to effectively treat cataracts and restore clear vision is cataract surgery, the right time for this procedure largely depends on each person.
Keep reading to learn if you can delay cataract surgery if your vision is still clear!
What are Cataracts?
Cataracts occur when proteins in the lens of your eye start to break down and clump together. As these protein clumps build up, they cloud the lens and impair your vision.
When clouding affects the natural clear lens of your eye, it prevents light from freely passing through the lens and focusing on the retina. The retina is the layer of light-sensitive nerve tissue at the back of the eye that processes light into visual images.
This causes blurry vision, among many other bothersome symptoms. The severity of the symptoms typically depends on the severity of your cataracts.
What Causes Cataracts?
While the actual cause of cataracts is still unknown, the most common cause seems to be aging. The breakdown of proteins in the eye’s lens is typically a part of the natural aging process.
Other factors that may play a part in early cataract development are:
- Smoking or a history of smoking.
- Overconsumption of alcohol.
- Diabetes.
- Repeated unprotected exposure to UV lights.
- Reliance on certain medications.
What are the Symptoms of Cataracts?
In most cases, cataracts develop slowly. It can take years for the symptoms caused by cataracts to affect your vision.
The most common symptoms of cataracts include:
- Cloudy or blurry vision
- Poor night vision
- Double vision
- Glare or halos around lights
- Changes in color perception
- Increased nearsightedness
- Frequent changes to your vision prescription
If you notice any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor at Chesapeake Eye Care right away.
How are Cataracts Treated?
The only way to treat cataracts and restore clear vision is cataract surgery. This procedure not only restores vision impaired by cataracts; it prevents cataracts from ever returning.
During cataract surgery, the natural lens of the eye, which has become clouded by cataracts, is removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). An IOL restores clear vision and can also correct vision at one or more distances.
The standard IOL used in cataract surgery is a monofocal. It can correct vision at a single distance and is fully covered by Medicare.
Cataract surgery patients can also opt to pay out-of-pocket for a premium IOL. Depending on your individual vision needs and goals, a premium IOL can correct vision at two or more distances, reducing your dependence on visual aids.
Schedule a Cataract Evaluation
When Should I Have Cataract Surgery?
For most people, cataract surgery is not urgent, and delaying cataract surgery will not affect the overall health of their eyes. Often, the right time to have cataract surgery is when your vision starts to be noticeably impaired.
However, delaying cataract surgery has no significant benefits. Treating your cataracts earlier rather than later can prevent the symptoms of advancing cataracts from seriously affecting the quality of your vision.
Without cataract surgery, the vision impairments caused by cataracts will only worsen until they are removed. If cataracts are starting to impact your quality of life, it might be time to start planning for cataract surgery.
While it may be okay to delay cataract surgery until it starts to impair your vision, it is not a good idea to wait for surgery until cataracts are in an advanced stage. Advanced cataracts can make surgery more difficult and increase the chances of complications.
In rare situations, cataracts can cause problems within an eye and need to be removed immediately. If cataracts cause the lens of the eye to swell, it can block the eye from properly draining fluid.
When eye fluid builds up, it increases pressure and can cause other eye problems, like glaucoma. People who have a family history of angle-close glaucoma or are extremely farsighted may be at an increased risk for developing this cataract-related condition.
Determining Whether You’re Ready for Cataract Surgery
To help people determine whether they are ready for cataract surgery, the AAO has come up with a list of four questions people should ask themselves:
Are Cataracts Affecting Your Daily Life or Performance at Work?
Impaired vision caused by the symptoms of cataracts can make day-to-day tasks like reading a computer screen, cooking a meal, or watching the television increasingly difficult.
Are Cataracts Affecting Your Ability to Drive Safely at Night?
Poor night vision, halos, and glare around lights due to cataracts can make night driving dangerous for you and your fellow drivers.
Are Cataracts Affecting Your Ability to Enjoy Outdoor Activities?
Glare and visual disturbances can affect your ability to enjoy outdoor activities like surfing or golf.
Can Your Cataracts Be Managed in Other Ways?
If the symptoms of cataracts can be managed with things like brighter lighting and magnifying lenses, it may be acceptable to delay having cataract surgery.
If cataracts aren’t impairing your vision, it may be okay to delay cataract surgery. To know for sure when you should have cataract surgery, you should consult with knowledgeable and experienced cataract specialists, like the team at Chesapeake Eye Institute, before making a decision!
Are you experiencing cataract symptoms? Schedule a cataract evaluation at Chesapeake Eye Care and Laser Center in Annapolis, MD, today!