The Villages - August 2022 - 12

" Some people want to be proactive, " Armstrong said.
" Somebody always says, 'If I have a cataract, why don't
you just take it out?' Because the lens is still doing its job.
And although cataract surgery is really safe and successful,
it's not zero risk. For most people, they would prefer
to wear glasses and have zero risk than do something
that carries a small risk. There's definitely a personality
component that goes into timing when you fix things. "
Armstrong explained to get surgery at such an early
The whole process in Armstrong's experience lasts
anywhere between an hour to an hour-and -a-half.
Among some of the many eye diseases Armstrong
and her colleagues check for is glaucoma, an eye disease
that causes blindness due to damage to the retina,
believed to be caused by high pressure; the pressure of
the retina is checked for this reason. Age-related macular
degeneration, a hereditary disease that causes abnormal
blood vessels to leak blood or fluid into the macula (responsible
for central vision) is also checked. Both can be
seriously damaging to anyone's vision if left untreated.
Dilating drops are then applied to the eyes and checked
with a slit lamp. It allows Armstrong to look at all the
structures in front of the eye where the cataract is.
" We're able to make sure everything looks healthy, "
Armstrong said. " We can look at the size of the cataract
and the color of the cataract. All that good stuff. "
Surgery may be against the best interest of the patient
if a cataract is caught too early. Risk plays a huge factor.
Despite the overwhelming success rate of cataract surgery,
there is still the possibility of negative side effects.
NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF SURGERY
Inflammation
Infection
Bleeding
Swelling
Drooping
eyelid
12
AUGUST 2022
JULY 2022
Dislocation of
artificial lens
Retinal detachment
Glaucoma
Secondary cataract
Loss of vision
YOU'VE CHOSEN TO HAVE SURGERY
Cataract surgery has a 99% success rate and is performed
more than 2 million times a year, according to
data from Ophthalmology Physicians and Surgeons, PC.
The entire process takes only 15 minutes with the patient
awake, but still medically relaxed.
" It's pretty remote to have a problem " Armstrong
said. " Incidents for cataract surgery are about one in
1,000. "
If it sounds like it's not one of the most complicated
surgeries out there, that's because there's a lot more
than meets the eye--each patient is unique in their requests
for how they want their vision to be. This requires
an extensive amount of communication with the patient
and planning.
" We do a different set of measurements on the eye, "
Armstrong said. " The measurements give us the shape
stage of cataracts would cost the patient more as opposed
to if they had a noticeable impairment in vision.
Insurance will not cover the cost of your surgery if there
isn't a vision limitation that your ophthalmologist is able
to measure and can't be corrected by glasses.
" It's purely elective at that point, " Armstrong said.
" I think the best time to do it is when you're starting to
limit your lifestyle or your activities. "
The Villages - August 2022

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