Cataracts are not something that young people worry about. However, when we start to hit middle-age, at about 50 years old, the chances increase that our doctor is going to tell us that we have cataracts. Around five percent of patients with cataracts are between the ages of 50 and 54. Approximately 36 percent of patients with cataracts are between the ages of 70 and 74, and 68 percent of cataracts patients are 80 years of age or older.
Cataracts occur when the inside of the lens of your eye becomes cloudy. Since the damage is actually on the lens of the eye, there’s nothing that you can do to correct it outside of a surgical procedure. When people hear that they have cataracts, they get scared. They think that nothing can be done to restore their vision. However, the truth is that with modern surgery, cataracts can be completely removed. Most patients who have cataract surgery have their full vision restored, and some of them no longer need to rely on eyeglasses.
Cataracts are directly connected to getting older. It is expected that in the United States more people are going to have cataracts as the aging population gets larger. Back in 2010, approximately 24 million Americans had cataracts. It’s expected that by 2050, more than 50 million people will have cataracts in the United States.
However, thanks to advances in modern surgical techniques, cataract surgery is literally one of the safest procedures a person can have performed. On an annual basis doctors perform more than three million cataract surgeries. The overwhelming majority of the surgeries have a positive outcome for the patient.
When you have cataract surgery, the lens inside your eye that is clouded over is removed. An artificial lens that is referred to as an intraocular lens is introduced to give you clear vision. The procedure is so safe and so fast that most people can have cataract surgery performed as an outpatient treatment. There’s no need for them to spend the night in the hospital.
Once this surgery is performed, the patient will get an eye patch to protect their eyes after surgery as they go through the recovery process.
Laser cataract surgery in Wichita, KS is becoming more and more popular. Studies have shown that in some cases using lasers during cataract surgery improves the accuracy of the procedure. Recovery times with laser cataract surgery compared to traditional cataract surgery are pretty much the same. However, the speed of the surgery is a lot faster when lasers are used.
Contact Wichita Vision Institute today for more information or to schedule your consultation.