How to Know You Need Cataract Surgery

Statistics suggest that there may be 2,500,000 Canadians living with cataracts, a number that may double over the next decade. Approximately 350,000 people undergo cataract surgery every year. Shockingly, someone in Canada sustains a visual impairment every dozen minutes — whether caused by cataracts or some other cause. That’s roughly 120 people every day. How do you know you need laser cataract surgery in Calgary that can help you from having to live with compromised sight?

What are cataracts?

If you’ve looked through a fogged window or into a steamed-over mirror, you have some sense of what it’s like to live with cataracts. Your healthy eyes’ lenses are normally perfectly clear, but cataracts slowly cause them to become cloudy. There are several different causes and risk factors for the development of cataracts. They include aging, injuries or surgeries affecting your eye tissue, genetic conditions, diabetic conditions, and even prolonged use of steroid medication. The development of cataracts can be so slow and gradual that you may not notice the changes until your vision has become significantly impaired.

Signs you may need cataract surgery

There are five common indicators you may require cataract surgery at an eye specialist in Calgary. The best way to stay on top of your eye health and to take timely steps to protect your eyesight is to have regular eye examinations at an ophthalmologist. Whether that’s something you do regularly or it’s been too long since you had an examination, you should consult an eye specialist if you are experiencing the following. Laser cataract surgery near you may restore and preserve your eyesight.

Encroaching cataracts commonly cause sensitivity to bright lights. Not only is this a sign of advancing cataracts, it’s also a cause of significant discomfort. Beyond that, it can be dangerous, especially if you’re someone who has to drive at night. If you’re experiencing light sensitivity, see an eye specialist in Calgary as soon as possible.

This one will be easy to understand if you think about the cloudy mirror or window. If your vision is blurred, your cataracts may be getting worse. Of course, the process may be so gradual that you might not notice. Two sure signs your vision may be deteriorating due to contacts? You’re always cleaning glasses that aren’t really dirty. And you’re constantly rubbing your eyes to try to see better.

Does it seem like everything is yellow? Is it harder to distinguish between certain colours or to perceive very fine details? All of those symptoms are suggestive of darkening cataracts that cause colour changes in your vision. At the point that your vision is actually affected, cataracts are well-established. Consult a specialist about laser cataract surgery in Calgary as soon as you can.

Double vision can be caused by the clouding of your eyes’ lenses as the result of cataracts. Double vision can be a nuisance when it comes to things like reading text or music, but it can also interfere with work, and make driving risky — not to mention make a mess of your golf game.

The presence of cataracts may explain your need for frequent eye prescription changes. Vision changes caused by cataracts will progress much faster — and more permanently — than any prescription changes can ever keep up with. The more often your prescription is changing the more quickly you should see an eye specialist near you.

The statistics about vision loss and cataracts in Canada are startling, but you don’t need to become just another regrettable statistic. With early diagnosis and treatment, cataracts can be resolved while preserving and protecting your eyesight. If you’re concerned about any of these symptoms or about your eye health generally, don’t delay in contacting an eye specialist near you for an examination and assessment.