CATARACT COMANAGEMENT

A cataract is a disease that results in the clouding of the eye's intraocular lens.  

Cataracts prevent clear images from appearing on the eye’s retina; causing mild, moderate, even severe blurred vision.  Typically  an eye disorder associated with aging, cataracts generally occur later  in life as the lens structure within the human eye changes and gets  older. In addition to age, other risk factors that lead to cataracts  include smoking, UV overexposure and diabetes.

During the evaluation of your eye health we will carefully examine your lens for signs of cataract formation.  If  a cataract is noticed and the clouding is causing visual disruption,  our optomitrist will refer you to a trusted and respected surgeon for  surgery, which is the only known cure for cataracts.  Cataracts are a leading cause of reduction of vision, particularly in the aging population. A careful dilated eye exam is needed to determine the nature of the cataract and to ensure that the cataract is the only cause of visual loss. Macular disease is common in this older population and its presence may reduce the visual benefit from cataract surgery. 

Cataract surgery is the removal of the natural lens of the eye (also  called “crystalline lens”) that has developed an opacification, which is  referred to as a cataract.  Metabolic changes of the crystalline  lens fibers over the time lead to the development of the cataract and  loss of transparency, causing impairment or loss of vision.  During  cataract surgery, a patient’s cloudy natural lens is removed and  replaced with a synthetic lens to restore the transparency of the lens.  Following  surgical removal of the natural lens, an artificial intraocular lens  implant is inserted ..

At Fayette Regional Eyecare, we provide cataract co-Management services for patients.  As a primary eye care provider, Dr. Ross is often the  first to diagnose and educate our patients about their cataracts.  Patients look to us for guidance from the moment we inform them of the  presence of a cataract to the final postoperative visit.  Cataract co-management begins at the first diagnosis of cataracts,  progresses until the cataracts are visually significant, and continues  through your postoperative care. Successful cataract co-management  includes you, the educated patient, Dr. Ross, and the highly  skilled cataract surgeons we partner with.