A cataract is a cloudy area that develops on the lens in your eye. You may get a cataract in one or both eyes, where it can affect your vision, depending on the size and location of the cataract.
The lens in each eye helps adjust focus so you can see things that are close and distant. It also focuses light onto a precise area of your retina so that your vision is sharp.
The lenses are made up of water and proteins arranged in a way that keeps the lens clear and allows it to work properly. You develop cataracts when the proteins begin to clump together, which makes the lens cloudy and doesn’t let light pass through.
Cataracts normally develop in people over age 55, but they can appear at a younger age. The following cataract symptoms may not be noticeable at first but they gradually get worse over time:
While eyeglasses can improve symptoms up to a point, surgery to remove the lens is the only current treatment for cataracts. The doctors at Mollick Professional Center perform precise surgery using cutting edge technology, the CATALYS® Precision Laser System.
Laser surgery begins with a type of imaging called optical coherence tomography, which creates a customized 3D image of your eye. Using this information, the specific location, depth, and length of the incision can be determined and precisely executed by programming the information into the laser system.
After making a small incision in the cornea, your natural lens can be removed. Then an artificial intraocular lens is implanted into the capsule that held your natural lens. When the surgery is finished, the new lens can stay in place for a lifetime.
Laser surgery has several benefits over traditional cataract surgery including:
The CATALYS Precision Laser System also offers the advantage of a safety feature, the Integral Guidance system, that automatically and accurately detects eye structures, then communicates images to your doctor who ensures your procedure is precise and customized to your eye.