Posted on: 02/21/23

Cataract Surgery

When you are first diagnosed with cataracts, you may not notice many changes to your vision in the early stages. This can make you wonder when is the appropriate time for cataract surgery.

Eventually, cataracts will begin to significantly affect your vision to the point where they inhibit you from performing your normal day-to-day tasks as easily as you typically would. Keep reading to learn when it may be time to start thinking about cataract surgery!

When Do Cataracts Form?

Cataracts often begin forming in most people in their forties or fifties. They also tend to develop very gradually, and you may not notice any symptoms when first diagnosed.

Like wrinkles or joint pain, you may not notice cataracts until they impact your life. Most people associate cataracts with later decades of life, such as the sixties or seventies.

For many people, this is when most cataracts begin to interfere with everyday tasks significantly and when they may start thinking about having cataract surgery. 

When Cataracts Impact Your Life

If the vision changes caused by cataracts have altered your lifestyle, don’t let cataracts slow you down. Cataract surgeons recommend cataract surgery once your worsening vision changes how you live.

Cataracts can cause daily tasks like cleaning the house, laundry or cooking dinner to become much more difficult. Even doing things you love can become challenging due to the visual changes associated with cataracts. 

You don’t have to live with diminished vision due to cataracts! Cataract surgery can restore your vision. 

Depending on the type of lens you choose to replace your natural lens, you may even be able to see better than you have in years.

What Are Cataracts?

Cataracts occur when the lens in your eye gets cloudy due to the natural aging process. A healthy lens is colorless and transparent and sits behind the iris. 

When the lens grows cloudy or opaque, this affects light passing through the eye, making vision dim or blurred. Most cataracts are the result of aging. 

They are the most common cause of vision loss in adults older than forty. Since they are related to age, everyone will eventually experience cataracts if they live long enough.

What Are the Symptoms of Cataracts?

Not everyone will experience the same symptoms of cataracts. Some of the most common cataract symptoms are:

  • Blurriness, haziness, or cloudy vision
  • Reduced color intensity, faded colors, or an overall yellow tint
  • Increased light sensitivity, especially during nighttime driving
  • Seeing double or ghost images
  • Greater difficulty seeing at night
  • Needing a stronger light source when reading
  • Glare, starburst, and halos around lights

What Are the Risk Factors for Cataracts?

Aside from aging, other factors can contribute to your risk of developing cataracts:

  • Medical conditions such as diabetes
  • Certain drugs, such as corticosteroids
  • A family history of cataracts
  • Injury to the eye, including surgery 
  • Ultraviolet damage from overexposure to sunlight
  • Excessive alcohol
  • Smoking 

What Happens During Cataract Surgery?

Cataract surgery is relatively quick and simple. It’s one of the most frequently performed eye surgeries.

During the procedure, the cloudy lens in your eye is removed and replaced with a new lens, called an IOL or intraocular lens. After the procedure, your vision will be restored!

Take That Next Step!

At Cutarelli Vision, Dr. Cutarelli has performed over 80,000 surgical procedures. So if you’re noticing changes in your vision that are affecting how you live your life, don’t just live with it. 

Contact our Denver, Fort Collins, Boulder Valley, or Colorado Springs offices to schedule an eye exam or surgery consultation. See how much better your vision can be when you no longer have to live with cataracts.

Are you experiencing symptoms of cataracts? Schedule a cataract evaluation at Cutarelli Vision in Fort Collins, CO, today!