If you have been diagnosed as having a cataract, there is no need to worry. In most cases, vision can be restored with modern day surgery. Cataract formation is usually a part of the eye's aging process. Today, vision is restored to millions of patients each year through a safe microsurgical procedure to remove the cataract.

The procedure is predictable and usually performed with a minimum of discomfort and inconvenience. And in most cases the patient returns home hours after the surgery.

Your doctor will explain the details of the procedure as well as any specifics relating to your particular case. This website is intended to give you general information about what to expect before, during and after your cataract surgery.

Inside your eye is a lens, much like the lens of a camera. Located behind the iris, the lens focuses incoming light rays through the pupil onto the retina at the back of the eye. Your lens must remain clear for the light to pass through and reach the retina. When the lens of the eye becomes cloudy of opaque, light is unable to pass through the lens and vision dims or blurs. A lens that has become cloudy is called a cataract. Cloudiness of the lens usually occurs with age.

By far, the most common cause of cataracts is the deterioration of the normal structure within the lens of the eye as a person ages.

Other possible cause are injuries or diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, glaucoma and high blood pressure.

A cataract is not a growth or a film over the eye. It is a cloudiness of the natural lens inside your eye.

In the early stages, you can usually improve your vision by changing your glasses. But once the cataract advances, changing glasses frequently does not solve the problem. When you can no longer see clearly, the cloudy cataract lens may be removed and replaced with a new clear artificial lens to help restore your vision.

Depending on the nature of your cataract, it may develop rapidly over a few months or slowly over several years. In many cases, your other eye will probably be affected, but usually not at the same time as the first eye.

• Blurred, fuzzy or hazy vision;
• Seeing as through there is a film over the eyes, or that one is looking through a veil or cobweb;
• Frequently changes in eyeglass prescriptions;
• Severe decrease in vision when looking at a bright scene or background;
• Glare, halos or tails around headlight when driving at night.

There are no medications, eye drops or diets that can cure or prevent cataracts. Once the cataract interferes with your activities, the only solution is surgery to remove them. Cataract surgery has a high success rate for the restoration of vision with today's modern advance and technology.

The need to have surgery is best determined by consulting your ophthalmologist.

The best time for removing your cataract depends on how the impairment of your vision handicaps your own life style. If you rely a great deal on your eyes, you may need the cataract to be removed much earlier than someone with less need for sharp vision.

Prior to your surgery, some routine tests will be done to determine your general health. Your doctor will decide the exact nature of your preoperative schedule.

Shortly before your surgery, you will probably receive medication to help you relax and some drops will be put into your eyes. General anesthesia is not required for cataract surgery and only a local anesthetic will be sufficient.

• Phacoemulsification
• Extracapsular Extraction

Phacoemulsication is the most advanced cataract removal technique. It is performed through a very small incision, approximately 3mm on the side of the cornea. A probe delivers ultrasonic vibrations to fragment and remove the cataract. A foldable intraocular lens is then inserted through the same incision. The small incision is generally self-sealing, requiring no stitches, which allows for faster, safer healing and speeds your return to normal activity. The actual surgery usually lasts no more than 30 minutes.

Extracapsular Extraction is the traditional method which requires a larger incision as the lens is removed in one-piece through the incision. A non-foldable intraocular lens is then placed into the eye. The incision is then closed with several stitches. The wound takes longer time to heal and visual recovery is slower.

The doctor may place a small patch over your eye. Within a few hours you will be ready to go home. As soon as you feel up to it, you will probably be allowed to resume normal, moderate activities. Your doctor will advise, depending on your medical condition.

With modern surgical techniques, you do not need to stay overnight in the hospital. You will be able to return almost immediately to your normal daily activities, including showering, shampooing your hair, reading, and possibly even going to work.

After your natural lens is removed, it must be replaced with a substitute lens so that the incoming light rays are focused properly. Majority of the cataract surgeries replace the lens with an intraocular lens.

An intraocular lens is a clear, tiny artificial lens that is implanted in the same location as the natural lens.

Before your operation, your doctor will conduct a test to measure your eye in order to determine the type and power of lens best for you.

The modern day concept of intraocular lenses was introduced in 1949. Since then, lenses and the surgical procedures for implanting them have undergone many improvements and refinements. Your doctor may choose to use one of the intraocular lenses made by Bausch & Lomb.

Surgical incisions are much smaller today because techniques have improved. A smaller incision heals faster and allows you to return to normal, daily activities faster with less discomfort.

New lens designs include foldable and round optic lenses small enough to insert through incisions less than one-fourth the size required just a few years ago.

Whatever the shape or design of your new lens, it is intended to stay in your eye permanently. The capsular bag of the original lens anchors the new lens implant in its position.

While patients should be able to see clearly after the surgery, there have been reports of "glare" from some patients who have been fitted with certain intraocular lens. Although not life-threatening, the patients may not be able to enjoy the clear vision that they expected.

Glare is a condition when one is not able to see clearly due to secondary light reflecting from the intraocular lens surface towards the back of the eye.

Should you experience such incidences, please consult your doctor for follow-up.

An advanced and innovative range of foldable intraocular lenses from Bausch & Lomb includes the Akreos® acrylic and Soflex® Silicone lenses. These advanced lenses are made from biocompatible materials with low refractive indices to minimise glare. Eye easily accepts them with excellent visual outcomes.