Cataracts and Refractive Surgery

Cataracts are clouding of the lens of the eye. The primary cause of cataracts is sun exposure. Air pollution and certain medications have also been linked to accelerated development of cataracts. Trauma and some medical conditions such as diabetes can cause cataracts to develop early in life, and on occasion babies are born with them. Even without any of these factors, cataracts seem to be an inevitable consequence of aging, and most people develop them to some degree by the time they reach 65 years old. Symptoms of cataracts include:
Blurry vision
Double vision
Light sensitivity
Glare
Changes in color perception
Frequent changes in corrective lens prescriptions

Cataracts and refractive surgeryCataracts do not mean that you are automatically ineligible for LASIK or other refractive surgery. However, your ophthalmologist may recommend cataract surgery, replacing the crystalline lens of your eye with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL), instead. A monofocal IOL can resolve nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia) and the cloudiness in one surgery. Now there are advanced IOLs that can allow you to see near and far without glasses. These advanced IOLs include the crystalens, the ReSTOR lens and the ReZoom lens.
Currently, no IOL can resolve astigmatism. In cases where the IOL does not solve all of the refractive error, refractive surgery may be used after cataract surgery to complete vision correction. In some cases an additional IOL will be placed in the eye to correct any remaining myopia or hyperopia.

Most cataracts grow very slowly, and for some people it may be more appropriate to have refractive surgery first, putting off cataracts surgery until it is truly necessary. After refractive surgery it can be difficult to collect the proper measurements for the IOL, so the measurements should be taken prior to refractive surgery for use later in life when and if cataract surgery becomes necessary.

Preventing CataractsCataracts are considered to be a natural and inevitable effect of aging, but like all age-related problems, their development can be slowed down sometimes to the point that symptoms never present themselves at all. It may even be possible to reverse the effects of cataracts through diet and nutrition.

Sun exposure is the most common cause of cataract development. Staying out of the sun whenever possible is the best prevention. Most of us cannot stay indoors all of the time during daylight hours, but even seemingly negligible amounts of time in the sun, such as walking back and forth to your car when shopping or going to work, are enough to do damage to your eyes over the years. Good sunglasses with UV protection and a wide brimmed hat are your best protection when you must be out in the sun.

Nutrition plays a huge role in eye health and can significantly slow down or prevent the development of cataracts. Antioxidants can protect the eyes from UV damage and possibly reverse some of the effects of the sun. Vitamins B, C, and E have been found to significantly slow down cataract development. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods such as salmon, walnuts, flax seeds, and avocados, can also help prevent cataracts.
Cataracts are difficult to avoid and, over time, they can lead to blindness. For people with mild, slow-growing cataracts refractive surgery may be an appropriate treatment for refractive error, especially astigmatism.

If you have cataracts and refractive error, ask you eye doctor if LASIK surgery is right for you.