Cataracts

Your vision plays an important part in everything you do. At Sites Vision Clinic in Clarksville, Tennessee, you’ll find a family-oriented atmosphere in which our husband and wife eye doctor team Brian and Paula Murray and their experienced staff have been serving the Clarksville area for over 50 years. Sites Vision Clinic wants you to be informed about cataracts in terms of how they form, what they mean for your vision, and how they are treated.

What Are Cataracts?

As people age, the proteins that make up part of the lens of the eye start to deteriorate. As they become dry, they leave cloudy white spots on the lens, which hampers your ability to refract light into the eye. This results in blurred and cloudy vision. Cataracts can also cause lights to appear abnormally bright, increased glare, a ring or halo effect around lights, and difficulty reading.

Many people suffer from cataracts; in fact, around 50% of people over the age of 80 develop them. They typically begin to show up in people over 60, although lens proteins begin the breakdown process after 40 and most cataracts form gradually. Though they most often develop as people age, they can occur in infants or at any age following an eye injury, radiation treatment, or as a complication of diabetes.

Your eye doctor should include cataract tests as part of your routine eye exam and monitor any changes or developing eye issues.

Cataract Surgery

Once the proteins have hardened on the lens and begun to obstruct and blur your vision, your eye doctor will need to remove your lens and replace it with an artificial lens. This is a relatively short process and can be done in around one hour, with patients going home the same day.

The optometry staff at Sites Vision Clinic will be sure you go home with all the information you’ll need to allow your eyes to heal after the procedure. We want you to feel comfortable, prepared, and well-informed. You should not feel pain afterward and recovery from this surgery is not very restrictive; you can probably resume driving and light activity 24 hours after surgery. You will likely be advised to avoid bending over, heavy lifting, and strenuous activity for a week or so afterward. As your incision heals you will also want to avoid anything that might introduce bacteria into your eye. Patients may be given eye drops to be used for several weeks following the surgery. All in all, recovery from cataract surgery should not disrupt your daily routine.

Treatment for Cataracts in Clarksville

Protect your vision with expert eye care. Whether cataracts are clouding your vision or it’s just time for your routine eye exam, call Sites Vision Clinic in Clarksville, Tennessee at (931) 647-5237 to set up an appointment today!