Cataract Surgery Florida
If your vision has become blurry, cloudy or dim, or things are not as bright or colorful as they once were, you may have developed a cataract. Most cataracts appear as we get older, but they are treatable with surgery. If you live in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, or elsewhere in Southwest Florida, and think you may have a cataract, we encourage you to schedule an evaluation with Elmquist Eye Group.
Dr. E. Trevor Elmquist, one of America’s Top Doctors in ophthalmology, his partner, Kate Wagner, OD, and his associate, Nina Burt, OD, provide complete eye care services. Dr. Elmquist is a skilled, board certified ophthalmologist, and Drs. Wagner and Burt are board certified optometrists. With state-of-the-art facilities, we offer a wide variety of services, from routine eye exams for glasses to bladeless laser-assisted cataract surgery.
What is a Cataract?
Cataracts are a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. Over time, they can lead to blurred vision. They can occur at any age, but are a very common part of the natural aging process. Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S., and an estimated 20.5 million Americans aged 40 years and older have a cataract in one or both eyes. Cataracts can be treated with surgery.
What Are the Symptoms of a Cataract?
Cataracts start small and you may not even notice their effect on your vision. As they progress, however, you may notice one or more of the following symptoms:
- Cloudy, blurred or dim vision
- More difficulty seeing at night or in low light
- Sensitivity to light and glare from bright lights
- Halos or rings around lights
- Changes in how you see color (things look faded or yellowed)
- Needing brighter light for reading and other activities
- Frequent changes in your glasses or contact lens prescription
- Double vision in one eye
The most common cause of cataracts is related to the aging of the eye. Other causes include genetics, medical problems such as diabetes, injury to the eye, medications such as steroids, and long-term unprotected exposure to sunlight.
If you think you may have a cataract, be very careful at night and avoid driving when your vision is compromised.
How Are Cataracts Treated?
Treatment of a cataract involves removal of the cloudy natural lens and replacing it with a clear artificial lens, called an intraocular lens or IOL. When you are no longer able to do your daily activities without difficulty, Dr. Elmquist will help you decide when the time is right to consider cataract surgery.
Advances in technology provide you with more options in terms of both the surgery and the intraocular lenses that are available. In traditional cataract surgery, your natural lens is typically replaced with a monofocal (one distance) intraocular lens.
Elmquist Eye Group is now offering Bladeless Laser-Assisted cataract surgery designed to improve the precision, safety and accuracy of cataract surgery. The FDA-approved laser automates three steps of cataract surgery that were previously performed manually: making the incision within the eye, fragmenting the cataract for removal, and making laser incisions on the corneal plane.
While traditional cataract surgery provides excellent results, this revolutionary procedure enhances our ability to offer patients at Elmquist Eye Group the best possible visual outcomes.
Cataract surgery can improve your vision to what it was before cataracts. If you decide to have multifocal IOLs implanted, your vision may actually be better than it used to be. Most patients experience little to no discomfort during or after cataract surgery.
If you live in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, or elsewhere in Lee County, Florida, make an appointment with Elmquist Eye Group at (239) 936-2020 to discuss cataract surgery and any other questions you may have about your vision problems.