For patients that have had surgery for cataracts, experiencing cloudy vision afterwards can be frightening and frustrating. Many people develop a condition referred to as secondary cataracts after cataract surgery. If you are one of these people and are worried you are having vision trouble despite surgical intervention, you should know that secondary cataracts are a common occurrence and can be treated. Learn more about secondary cataracts and the steps you can take to getting back clear vision.
About Posterior Capsule Opacity
Secondary cataracts is actually a condition called posterior capsule opacity. Bear in mind that after cataracts are removed from your eyes, they cannot return. The condition posterior capsule opacity is commonly called secondary cataracts because of the same cloudy vision it causes. The posterior capsule in your eye is responsible for holding the lens in place, both the one you're born with and the artificial ones placed in your eyes during cataract surgery. The front part of the capsule is removed when an artificial lens is put into place, but the back part (posterior) of the capsule is left to hold the new lens in. When an artificial lens is in place, the posterior capsule begins to grow cells over it for holding it place. This is a natural process. The new cell growth is what clouds your artificial lens, causing unclear, hazy vision. In addition to cloudy vision, secondary cataracts can also cause some of the following symptoms:
You may see a glare when in bright lights.
Some patients have double vision.
If the vision in one of your eyes is worse than in the other.
Your Treatment Options For Secondary Cataracts
If you are experiencing the cloudy vision caused by posterior capsule opacity, you can have another surgery done to fix it. The procedure called Nd:YAG posterior capsulotomy is performed with a specially design laser and is painless and will correct your cloudy vision. Using the laser, a small hole is take out of the thickened cells growing over your artificial lens, allowing light to flow through it. Once the light is able to come through, your cloudy vision goes away. Some patients experience clearer vision right away, but in some others, clearer vision will develop over a few days after the procedure.
Caring for your vision is easier when you make sure to visit your eye doctor for exams on a regular basis. By having regular eye exams, your eye doctor can catch problems early, giving him or her greater chances of providing you with effective treatment.
To learn more, get some eye exams done by Polar Vision Centre.
Share3 May 2016
How do you know when you need to get glasses for reading? As we get older, our eyes don't work as well as they once did. I squinted and adjusted my newspaper to make up for my failing eyesight but it wasn't enough after a while. I have talked with my eye doctor about the signs of failing eye sight and what can be done to put it off a bit. Between what my eye doctor has taught me and what I have read in books and online, I have gathered quite a bit of information about protecting your vision and seeing clearly long into your older years.
