Dr. Smith may recommend removing a cataract when it starts to affect a patient’s activities or daily lifestyle. Sometimes cataracts are removed to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of another eye condition (i.e.: macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy) and the cataract interferes with his ability to examine and properly diagnose his patients.
The timing of cataract surgery varies with each individual patient. Dr. Smith reviews the detailed information with his patients, so together they can make an appropriate decision on when to schedule surgery. Regardless if surgery plays an immediate role in the treatment plan, a cataract patient’s best defense against vision loss is to have regularly scheduled eye exams.
A cataract may cause minimal symptoms in the beginning stages. As the cataract progresses and increases in size, so does the affects on vision. The following are common symptoms that Dr. Smith finds in his patients with cataracts:
Dr. Smith has noted an increased occurrence of cataracts as his patients continue to age. Other contributing factors include:
Diagnosing cataracts begins during a comprehensive clinical eye exam. During the exam, Dr. Smith is perceptive to the contributing factors of cataracts, including the patients’ symptoms and vision complaints. Regularly scheduled eye exams are extremely important in diagnosing and successfully treating cataracts.
Patients do not have to accept cataracts and the resulting vision loss as a part of aging. When the vision begins to diminish and other symptoms have a negative impact on the patient’s daily life, Dr. Smith removes the cataracts by performing cataract surgery. During this procedure the cataract lens is removed and replaced with an artificial, intraocular lens.
This very common and successful procedure is done at the Eye Surgery Center of Hinsdale located on the same property as Smith-Perry Eye Center.
Dr. Smith may recommend removing a cataract at its earliest stages. This occurs when a patient has another eye condition (i.e.: macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy) and the cataract interferes with his ability to examine and properly diagnose his patients.
The necessity and timing of cataract surgery vary with each individual patient. Dr. Smith reviews the detailed information with his patients, so together they can make an appropriate decision on when to schedule surgery. Regardless if surgery plays an immediate role in the treatment plan, a cataract patient’s best defense against vision loss is to have regularly scheduled eye exams.
