Cataracts are an eye condition that can develop when a person is aging or has incurred an injury that affects the eye’s surrounding tissue. Some studies have shown that cataracts can be linked to genetics and even other diseases. Diabetes, for example, increases a person’s risk of having cataracts. Other medications used over a long period of time, such as steroids, can also cause this condition. Many people have sought cataract treatment physicians to help them with their condition. One of the most frequent treatments involves surgery, but some people might be wondering if surgery is the best option for them.
The surgery is a fairly common procedure. Nonetheless, many people will delay having surgery for days, months, and even years by using vision aids like contacts and eyeglasses. This condition can develop in children. Most people decide whether surgery is impertinent or not based on the severity of the cataracts. Children who have suffered from vision loss through cataracts would benefit greatly from surgery, so that their vision will not be damaged indefinitely.
For adults, the concept of surgery can be questionable. A physician at a Family Vision Center should be able to provide patients with advice about whether to seek a surgical option or not and even provide referrals to a cataract specialist. Cataract treatment isn’t just dependent on a person’s quality of life, cosmetic appearance, and ability to function normally with cataracts. It’s also a matter of understanding if the cataracts need to be treated because of another underlying eye condition. Diabetic retinopathy and muscular degeneration are two such cases. With these diseases, the cataract needs to removed so that the other condition can be treated appropriately.
The two biggest reasons that adults and elderly people seek out cataract surgery options is out of fear of blindness and loss of independence. A physician should be able to assess a person’s overall vision health and determine the likelihood of either of these outcomes. This prediction isn’t just based on the current capability of sight, but also on the type of cataracts involved. People can have congenital, posterior subcapular, cortical, or nuclear cataracts. Each of these manifest differently and obscure vision in various ways thus causing treatment methodology to vary as well.
