Center for Sight

Comprehensive Eye Care Center

Cataracts

Cataracts are a very common senior eye problem we see at Center for Sight in Fall River. The Crystalline Lens is usually soft, flexible and “crystal” clear in our younger years. In fact, it has excellent transparency and optical clarity. As we progress through our 50’s and 60’s, the normally “crystal” clear lens may gradually become yellow and cloudy. When this occurs, you may initially experience a mild blurring of your vision and feel that you might need a change of eyeglasses.

As the Crystalline Lens loses its transparency and its optical clarity, you may notice that it is not as easy to see well and comfortably in dim illumination, such as for night driving. You may notice that colors look faded. The cloudiness may also create glare, haloes, light sensitivity and a continuing decrease in your vision. If the Crystalline Lens becomes too cloudy it may cause a significant decrease in both your day and night vision. These are the visual symptoms that are common for those patients who’s Crystalline Lens has clouded and formed a Cataract. Cataracts are a common eye problem as we get older. Cataracts can affect us even if we have had normal vision all our lives. 

When patients think about how cataracts affect them they typically relate their symptoms to complaints like blurry vision, cloudy vision, glare, difficulty night driving and other vision symptoms. But, what we consider for each patient with cataracts is that poor vision in seniors is often associated with premature or accelerated mental decline, challenges to mobility and safety and cataracts can also put patients at increased risk for orthopedic injury-especially hip fracture. So, helping seniors restore vision with cataract surgery and lens implants is important for senior health, well-being, mobility, safety and mental state. It is important to note that cataracts are even more common if we have had certain health problems such as diabetes or taken certain medications such as steroids (e.g. cortisone, prednisone) for asthma or other inflammatory conditions. If you are experiencing vision changes like these, it is important to schedule a comprehensive eye examination and cataract consultation.