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William Park
William L. Park, OD, FAAO is in private practice in Wichita, KS. He works exclusively with patients referred for low vision evaluation, low vision rehabilitation and neurological vision loss. He is a past Director of Low Vision Services, Lions Research & Rehabilitation Center, Wilmer Eye Institute-Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Park can be reached at William L. Park, OD, LLC, www.parklowvision.com, 610 N. Main, Suite 201, Wichita, KS 67203, (316) 440-1690 or drpark@parklowvision.com.
Vision
2012-02-27 13:55:21
Cataract removal
Q: I have been visually impaired in my right eye since I was 3-years old due to a cataract. I am now 45-years old and my eye doctor told me that removing the cataract at my age would not help. I feel that any improvement would be beneficial in my everyday life. Can you give me your thoughts on what I should do?
A: As you know, the lens of the eye must be clear for the retina to receive a sharp image. If clouding occurs in the lens, it is referred to as a cataract and the image you see will be blurred. Identifying details, such as seeing a road sign while driving, reading the newspaper and even recognizing a family member’s face, may be difficult or impossible. While the majority of cataracts are age-related, cataracts can also be caused by hereditary factors. The most common symptoms of a cataract are blurred vision, color perception changes, glare from lights, decreased night vision, seeing multiple images and more frequent changes in spectacle prescriptions. The symptoms of early cataract may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, magnifying lenses or low vision devices. If these measures do not help, surgery is the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens referred to as an IOL (intra-ocular lens implant). Wearing sunglasses and a hat with a brim to block ultraviolet sunlight may help delay further formation of the cataract. If you smoke, stop immediately. Researchers also believe good nutrition can help reduce the risk of age-related cataracts as well as other eye diseases, such as macular degeneration. They recommend eating green leafy vegetables, fruit and other foods with antioxidants. An eye examination should always involve a comprehensive dilated eye exam by your optometric or ophthalmological practitioner; this is the only way that the lens can be evaluated in its entirety, along with the retina and posterior portion of the eye. A cataract needs to be removed when vision loss interferes with your everyday activities, such as driving, reading or watching TV. Visual acuity is a number that may lead to speculation of visual function, but often does not correlate with personal satisfaction. Even if you have low vision, surgery may be beneficial to you. While it won’t correct your vision problem, surgical removal of the cataract may benefit you functionally and improve your daily life. You and your eye care professional can and should make this decision together. Two recent published sources further review cataract extraction for improved quality-of-life issues, in spite of other known reasons for the visual impairment such as macular degeneration. Park WL. So what if we go outside the box? An argument for cataract extraction of moderate to profound visually impaired persons. Visibility 2009; 3(3):12-13. Kou IC, Broman AT, Massof, RW, Park, WL. The impact of cataract surgery on patients from a low vision clinic. Can J Ophthalmol 2011; 46:391-398. For information or copies of these articles, you can contact my office at (316) 440-1690.
 
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