Can Cataracts Return After Cataract Surgery?

After any surgery or procedure, it’s normal to want to know the success rate. If you’re considering a procedure like cataract surgery, you might wonder if you’ll need another treatment to address cataracts or if they will be gone for good.

The good news is that cataract surgery is an effective treatment that permanently removes cataracts. Keep reading to learn if cataracts can return after cataract surgery.

What are Cataracts?

Cataracts refer to having a cloudy natural lens. The natural lens is a curved structure that light rays to the back of the eye.  

Healthy lenses are clear, but as you age, the proteins in the lens break down, leading to cloudy or blurry vision. Cataracts are part of the natural aging process and are more common over age 40. 

However, people of any age can develop cataracts, and factors like past eye procedures or diabetes can increase the risk. 

The Symptoms of Cataracts

Since cataracts worsen with time, you may not have many symptoms at first. You may only notice part of your vision is cloudy at first, but the cloudy areas will likely grow and make daily tasks more difficult. 

The most common symptoms of cataracts include:

• Cloudy or blurry vision that feels like looking through a foggy window
• Issues seeing well at night
• Increased sensitivity to lights and glares
• Halos appearing around lights
• Frequent changes to your prescription for glasses or contacts 
• Colors that look faded or yellowed
• Increased need for light while reading 

If you think you could have cataracts, schedule an eye exam with your eye doctor at Mid Ohio Eye. They will examine your eyes for cataracts and help you determine if it’s time for the procedure. 

How Does Cataract Surgery Work?

Cataracts usually develop slowly on the lens of your eye. At first, contacts and glasses work well enough to restore clear vision. 

But cataracts will worsen. Eventually, glasses or contacts might not be enough to restore your vision. This is when cataract surgery is a good option.

Cataract surgery removes cataracts by replacing the cloudy natural lens with an intraocular lens (IOL). It has very high success rates, and while any medical procedure has potential side effects, cataract surgery is generally low-risk. 

Will Your Cataracts Return?

Because cataract surgery removes the natural lens affected by cataracts and replaces it with an IOL, the IOL is made of materials like acrylic and silicone, so the replacement lens can’t develop a cataract.

While it’s possible to develop other vision problems after cataract surgery, you won’t have to worry about cataracts again. 

Schedule a Cataract Surgery Consultation

Cataracts can make it harder to do the things you love. If your cataracts are getting worse, you may need a solution other than glasses or contacts.

At Mid Ohio Eye, we offer cataract surgery as a permanent solution to this common vision problem. Setting up a consultation is the best way to know if cataract surgery is right for you. 

Find out if you could need cataract surgery by scheduling a cataract consultation at Mid Ohio Eye in Columbus, OH, today! Isn’t it time to see life without cataracts holding you back?