Cataract FAQs
In some cases, new glasses may temporarily improve vision, but there are no medications or exercises that will help cataracts disappear. If cataracts are interfering with your vision, surgery is the answer. With our Florida cataract surgeons, cataract surgery is a safe and effective way to restore your clear vision and enjoy life fully once again.
The time for surgery is when cataracts are causing loss of vision which affects your ability to perform activities of daily living in your accustomed manner. With modern advancements in cataract surgery, developing cataracts no longer means having to suffer from blurry vision. The first step in detecting cataracts and determining your need for surgery is through a comprehensive consultation with Florida Eye Specialists.
Depending on the type of cataract surgery that you select the cost will vary. Depending on the type of lens implant and level of cataract surgery additional costs will apply. At the time of your initial cataract consultation, our cataract surgery counselors will discuss your options and the costs involved associated with cataract surgery.
Following surgery, we will keep you in the recovery area for 20-30 minutes and then discharge you. You will be at our surgery center for a total of 2-3 hours. You will need a ride home that day. You will have an appointment the next day for a recheck to make sure the eye is healing well.
Recovery is quick. Most people see better a few days after cataract surgery, but it is not abnormal or worrisome if your vision seems blurry for a few weeks after surgery as your eye heals. We will prescribe some eye drops for the healing period after surgery. It is very important to keep up with your eye drops schedule and try to limit your activity the first week. If you need new eyeglasses after surgery, these will be prescribed for you once your eye is completely healed, usually about a month after surgery. We expect you to do very well with the procedure and enjoy your vision.
Cataracts cannot grow back, but sometimes a thin cloudy membrane grows behind the new lens implant, making your vision blurry like a cataract. This is not uncommon—it happens to roughly 20 percent of patients having cataract surgery. If it happens to you, a quick and simple laser treatment can be performed in the office to make a hole in the membrane and restore your vision.
We typically perform cataract surgery on one eye and then on the second eye two weeks later. While risks and complications with modern cataract surgery are extremely rare, they will be discussed in detail at the time of your cataract evaluation.
Light Adjustable Lens™ FAQs
The unique feature of the Light Adjustable Lens is that the shape and focusing characteristics can be changed after implantation in the eye using an office-based UV light source called a Light Delivery Device or LDD. The Light Adjustable Lens itself has special particles (called macromers), which are distributed throughout the lens. When ultraviolet (UV) light from the LDD is directed to a specific area of the lens, the particles in the path of the light connect with other particles (forming polymers). The remaining unconnected particles then move to the exposed area. This movement
causes a highly predictable change in the curvature of the lens. The new shape of the lens will match the prescription you selected during your eye exam.
Please follow all instructions provided to you by your eye doctor and staff, including wearing of the UV-blocking glasses that will be provided to you. As with any cataract surgery, your vision may not be perfect after surgery. While your eye doctor selected the lens he or she anticipated would give you the best possible vision, it was only an estimate. Fortunately, you have selected the Light Adjustable Lens! In the next weeks, you and your eye doctor will work together to optimize your vision. Please make sure to pay close attention to your vision and be prepared to discuss preferences with your eye doctor.
The UV-blocking glasses provided to you protect the Light Adjustable Lens from UV light sources other than the LDD that your doctor will use to optimize your vision. Exposing the Light Adjustable Lens to other UV light sources will potentially change the lens correction in an uncontrolled manner. If you do not wear the provided UV-blocking glasses, your vision may not improve or it could get worse. If this happens, please contact your physician.
The UV-blocking glasses must be worn at all times until your eye doctor tells you that you no longer need to wear them (usually 24 hours after your final light treatment). Total wear is typically about 4 to 5 weeks in duration, however, this may vary depending on the number of light treatments delivered.
No. You must wear the UV-blocking glasses provided to you. These glasses have a special protective coating that no other glasses have.
Please notify your eye doctor/clinic as soon as possible if one of your two pairs of UV-blocking glasses are lost, damaged or unwearable, and then continue to wear the other pair. If both pairs are lost or damaged, wear the darkest sunglasses you have and contact your eye doctor/clinic.
Please contact your eye doctor for post-op instructions.
Showering: If there is a window or possible direct sunlight in your shower, please wear UV-blocking glasses in the shower. If there is no direct sunlight, you do not need to wear your UV-blocking glasses when you shower. However, please put them on immediately afterward.
Sports: Your eye doctor will advise you when you can return to sports. Your return to more impactful activities may need to be delayed until all light treatments are complete to guarantee a stable Light Adjustable Lens for light treatments.
Tanning Studio: A tanning studio bed is a very strong source of UV light, and should be avoided until all light treatments are complete and you have been advised that you can remove your UV-blocking glasses.
Makeup: Your eye doctor will advise you when you can return to wearing eye makeup. Be careful when removing eye makeup and do not place excessive pressure on the eye. Permanent makeup
should be delayed until the eye is considered fully healed by your eye doctor.
Travel: Travel is not impacted. Be sure to remember all of your UV-blocking glasses and wear at all times. Be particularly diligent in protecting your eyes from UV sources in unfamiliar environments.
Work: Work is not impacted unless your profession puts you at a higher risk of UV exposure. Please remember to wear your UV-blocking glasses at work until you are told by your eye doctor that it is no longer necessary.
Laser Treatments: It is recommended that you wait until all light treatments are complete and you have been advised that you can remove your UV-blocking glasses before proceeding with hair removal (IPL) treatments (different IPL devices use different wavelengths). This should include other facial beauty treatments that use light sources.
It is very important that you do not forget to wear your UV-blocking glasses. However, if you do forget, please put them on as soon as you remember.
A minimum of two light treatments—each lasting approximately 90 seconds—are required. The total number of light treatments is based on the achievement of the desired visual outcome that you and your doctor selected. Once you have achieved your final optimal vision, the lens power is permanently locked with a final light treatment to prevent any further changes.
Each light treatment will last between 8 and 120 seconds, with the average being approximately 90 seconds. Variation in time is dependent on the type of treatment performed.
Numbing drops will be applied to your eye, and there may be some mild pressure or discomfort. However, the light treatments should not be painful.
Your vision may be blurry immediately after each treatment due to a gel used during the application of the light treatment, but this should resolve quickly. Additionally, your eye may be dilated for the treatment, which may require wearing tinted glasses for a few hours. It may take approximately 24 hours after each light treatment to notice an improvement in your vision. The light from the LDD may also cause a temporary or long-lasting pink or red afterimage, which is common with a light source directed to the eye. This tinge to your vision is especially noticeable on things that normally look white.
Why Florida Eye Specialists?
Modern cataract surgery offers you an array of options in technology and lenses. It can by confusing and a bit overwhelming trying to figure things out on your own.
It is very important for you to understand the options so that you can make the best decision to meet your needs. At Florida Eye Specialists, during initial cataract consultation, our surgeons and surgical counselors will sit down with you and explain the choices in detail and work with you to determine the best surgical technique and the best lens. We guide you throughout the entire process.
At Florida Eye Specialists, all our surgeons are fellowship trained and have the clinical and surgical knowledge, experience, and expertise to provide you the best possible experience and outcome. We are wholeheartedly committed to providing excellence in eye care to each and every patient. Please call us at 904-564-2020 to schedule your initial consultation.