Is It Time for Cataract Surgery? Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Cameras and eyes both use lenses to focus light. When a camera lens becomes foggy, the pictures are blurry. It’s the same with your eye. If the eye lens becomes cloudy, your ability to see is impaired.  

A cloudy eye lens is called a cataract. Fortunately, a simple surgery can get your vision perfect again. 

Drs. Hena A. Khaja, Soha Rafi, and our experienced team at Texas Eye Doctors serve the people of McKinney, Texas, by treating a range of eye problems, including performing surgery for cataracts.

Facts about cataracts

The flexible protein structure of the lens of your eyes is composed of a material called crystallins. When this protein breaks down in your eyes, you start seeing things as if through a dirty window. As it worsens, it makes vision very blurry.

Age-related cataracts occur most frequently. However, it can also occur in babies and children (pediatric cataracts), result from injuries (traumatic cataracts), or form from cloudy patches on your lenses (secondary cataracts).

Causes and risk factors

While the crystallins that make up your lenses can break down over time, causing the common age-related type of cataracts, several factors can cause this illness. 

Issues like overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, smoking, long-term use of steroids, radiation therapy,  psychiatric medications, and an overproduction of oxidants also cause cataracts to develop.

Other factors increase your risk, such as alcohol abuse, weight challenges, hypertension, a history of eye injuries, diabetes, and exposure to too many X-rays.

Signs to look for

Several symptoms point to cataracts, including: 

• Blurry or cloudy vision 
• Seeing less vibrant colors 
• Yellow-tinted vision 
• Seeing a glare 
• Light sensitivity 
• Double vision
• Halos around lights
• Rapid prescription changes 

Sometimes, it develops with no symptoms in the early stages.

When the vision problems worsen enough that you always seem to need a new prescription, surgery becomes the best action because things are progressing faster than any other treatment options can manage. Specific chronic illnesses, like diabetes, can also accelerate cataracts.

Not all cases of cataracts require surgery, but once you’re diagnosed, regular testing will help us monitor their development. For help managing cataracts and other eye problems, schedule an appointment with Drs. Khaja, Rafi, and our Texas Eye Doctors team today.

If your vision has been changing or it seems like you are looking through a foggy window, it could very well be cataracts. Our friendly office staff would love to answer your questions and give you some peace of mind. Just give us a call to start a conversation about cataracts.