Discover Vision Centers has multiple clinics in the Kansas City metro with a long history of providing care for patients with cataracts in the eye. Whether you are wanting the newest refractive lens implants to get rid of your bifocals and reading glasses or a standard single focus lens implant, we have all of your options covered.
Cataracts are a condition when the natural lens inside our eye becomes cloudy or opacified. This natural aging process can occur at any age, but most commonly presents in patients older than 50. As the clarity of the lens changes, overall visual acuity may decline in addition to having more difficulty with glare from incoming light or requiring more light to perform tasks such as reading. There are no preventive measures and the cure is removal with surgery.
Vision changes can be broadly divided into two categories; refractive changes, which are correctable with a change in eyeglass prescription, and medical changes, which are not correctable with glasses but rather need medical or surgical intervention. One of the most common signs of cataract is experiencing a change in vision that does not improve with a new eyeglass prescription. With normal aging the lens inside the eye gradually becomes thicker and less flexible which drives the need for reading glasses or bifocals after age 40. Those same changes in the lens progress over a period of years and eventually the lens becomes yellow (nuclear sclerosis) or cloudy (cataract). Average age for cataract surgery is around 68-69, but can vary quite a bit depending on a multitude of variables such as heredity, sunlight exposure, lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise, and length of time on certain medications. You may be a candidate for surgery if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Cataracts represent about 50% of worldwide blindness, and can be corrected with simple removal of the lens which is one of the most common and successful surgeries performed today.
There is essentially one type of cataract surgery but several lens option choices patients can make for their surgery. Lifestyle and patient preferences will help direct recommendations for your lens implant. For patients that want to minimize if not eliminate need for glasses Full Focus Vision Correction implants are excellent options. The lens implants used for the Full Focus procedure are called trifocal implants and they provide vision at distance, intermediate and near points for each eye.
With modern cataract surgery, patients do receive an intraocular lens implant. If one were not placed the patient would need very thick glasses or contacts to see. Lens implants are made of plastic and should last the length of a patient’s life.
Monofocal or single focus implants correct the vision to a single focus point. The patient would need glasses for some aspect of their vision either distance or near.
Toric or astigmatism correcting IOL implants address astigmatism. About 30% of eyes have enough astigmatism that these implants can be considered. Astigmatism can be described as the eye or cornea surface being shaped more like an American football or the back of spoon. Ideally the shape would be more like that of a tennis ball with the same curve throughout. With a toric IOL the focus of the eye is created to be more like that of a tennis ball or perfectly round shape.
The Light Adjustable Lens as titled is just that ‘ adjustable’. The prescription for each eye of each patient can be customized to distance, intermediate, or near focal points. Astigmatism and be treated at the same time. Most patients will have one eye targeted for the best distance and the alternate to help with near task. With the LAL the alternate that sees up close typically still has legal distance driving vision.
Early symptoms of cataract included changing or decreased distance and / or near vision, blurry or clouded vision, poor night vision, light sensitivity, glare and halo symptoms. New eye glasses can help. Antireflective and tint coatings and sunglasses can help one function better as well. Eventually these changes may not help enough and cataract surgery is recommended.
The first step in your process is to complete ocular examination to confirm cataract is the cause of your vision decrease. When this is determined several diagnostic tests are completed. These include the Zeiss IOL master which measures the length of your eye, the curvature of your cornea, and several other anatomical measurements. Corneal topography will be completed to assess additional aspects relating to astigmatism. Retinal OCT will be completed to assess the health of the central part of your retina called the macula.
The refractive cataract surgeons at Discover Vision Centers utilize several categories of implants. Silicone and acrylic monofocal IOLs are available. Toric / astigmatism implants from Alcon, Bausch and Lomb and Johnson and Johnson vision are used. Two trifocal implants are used ( Alcon Panoptix and Johnson and Johnson Synergy ). Extended depth of focus lenses is also used for patients wanted distance, intermediate, and near vision ( Alcon Vivity and Johnson and Johnson Symfony ). The RxSight Light Adjustable Lens is frequently used for patients that want to minimize or avoid glasses for most if not all activities
Cataracts are caused primarily by normal aging. “If you live long enough you will get them”.
Risk factors include aging, heredity, sunlight exposure and general health; for example–diabetics tend to develop cataracts earlier than non-diabetics. They can also be the result of long term use of certain medications such as steroids. Cataracts can also be congenital or the result of trauma to the eye. To some degree it may be possible to prevent or delay the need for surgery with good lifestyle choices such as a healthy diet and wearing UV protection sunglasses when spending time outdoors.
Modern refractive cataract surgery requires the state-of-the-art technology of intraocular lens implants and in some cases laser vision correction following cataract surgery to optimize the end visual result.
Expertise in refractive cataract surgery requires training and experience with the latest technology. Discover Vision Centers surgeons are considered at the top of the field for their reputation in providing excellent patient care.
Our goal at Discover Vision Centers is to tailor the care of each patient to meet or exceed their preoperative goals. With this as our guide our team will assist each patient in achieving exceptional vision.
Medical insurance plans including medicare cover cataract surgery when the condition has reached a level of medical necessity. This is determined by examination of the eyes by your doctor in addition to visual symptoms you may be experiencing. Your medical insurance will provide coverage for a standard lens implant to replace your clouded natural lens, but most will still require glasses for best vision. If the goal is independence from glasses or contacts after surgery, there are premium implants that your doctor can discuss to achieve this. These lenses are considered cosmetic by medical plans and there will be some out of pocket cost for the “upgraded” lens. HSA and FSA plans can be utilized to help cover these expenses.
Dr. John Doane is fellowship trained in refractive surgery. He is actively involved in FDA clinical trials related to emerging intraocular lens implant technologies.
Discover Vision Centers proudly serves the Greater Kansas City and surrounding areas. We have 9 locations and 3 surgery centers to serve all of your eye care needs. Our eye clinics are located in Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Harrisonville, Independence, The Northland, Raymore, Leawood, The Legends, and Olathe. Cataract consultations are performed in the office and surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure in our surgery centers in Independence, Leawood or The Northland.
