For many of us, cataracts are an inevitable part of aging. Usually occurring after age 50, cataracts are defined as the clouding of the eye’s lens. This deterioration of the lens leads to a loss of vision that unfortunately cannot be fixed with glasses or contacts. However, all hope should not be lost. The silver lining is that cataract surgery can often reverse cataract vision loss. If you yourself are considering this option, you may want to consider undergoing cataract surgery in Los Angeles as you will surely find an expert specialist who can help you, such as Dr. Moosa at the Excel Laser Vision Institute.
Laser vision correction for cataracts uses FDA-approved femtosecond lasers during the procedure, such as the ones used by the Los Angeles laser vision correction center Excel Laser Vision Institute. These lasers are carefully used for specific steps of the process and ease the work for the surgeon so they do not have to employ handheld tools like surgical blades. This corrective eye surgery begins with the doctor dilating the patient’s pupil and numbing the area with local anesthetics. If necessary, the doctor will also give the patient a sedative. The surgery itself involves the surgeon replacing the patient’s natural eye lens with an artificial intraocular lens. The purpose of this is to remove the portion of the eye that is cloudy so that the patient doesn’t continue to experience loss of vision from that cloudiness. The end result is a patient with a clear and restored vision. Cataract surgery is very quick and often takes less than an hour for the doctor to finish. It is also usually an out-patient procedure and the patient will not need to stay overnight to be monitored by medical staff.
Immediately after the surgery, you will receive a short postoperative evaluation. There, the medical staff will instruct you on how to care for your eyes during recovery. A second postoperative appointment will be scheduled, usually the day after the initial operation, where the doctor will administer an eye exam to you. Here, the doctor will give you permission to drive if they feel your vision is clear enough. It is crucial that you do not drive before you are given this confirmation from your doctor, as it is unsafe for you and those around you.
In order for your recovery to go as smoothly as possible, you must follow the recovery instructions provided to you by the doctor. For example, during the first week, you must avoid strenuous physical labor, water splashing into your eye, and any types of activities that put your eyes at risk of exposure to infection-causing particles, like dirt or dust.
Experiencing a loss of vision is very uncomfortable, and cataract surgery is here to help those who need it. If you are interested in learning more about the surgery, find a trusted and knowledgeable center to ask questions, like the cataract surgery center Excel Laser Vision Institute.