Cataracts are the most common disorder of the aging eye. The cataract is a clouding or opacity of the normal lens inside the eye. Most adults get some degree of cataract formation over the years. Factors which can contribute to this formation include diabetes, smoking, alcohol comsumption, exposure to ultraviolet light, and some medications. Cataracts can be inherited or secondary to trauma or chronic eye disease.

Symptoms
The development of a cataract is usually a gradual process that many people do not even notice until they are informed of its existence by their eye doctor. However, there are some definite symptoms that may become apparent. Many people with cataracts are bothered by the glare of automobile headlights at night. There also may be difficulty with reading street signs, as well as performing many of the ordinary daily activities which require vision. In addition, there may be a perceived reduction of color vision.

Treatment
The process that leads to the development of a cataract cannot be reversed by treatment. Usually, the most practical and effective solution is surgical removal of the clouded lens of the eye (cataract) and replacement with a highly precise intraocular lens implant. Because the measurements to determine the power of the lens implant are so critical, Sneed Eye Associates has the most accurate technology to measure and calculate this power. There are several choices of intraocular lens implants, and each must be considered on an individual basis to determine the best result for each patient.

Surgery
Cataract surgery is conveniently performed at Outpatient Surgery Center. All equipment is the latest state-of-the-art technology. The surgery is performed under local anesthesia, and patients can return home immediately following their procedure. Our focus is on providing the highest quality care possible.

Presbyopia Correcting Lens Implant
There are three lens implants that have been recently approved by the FDA. These implants are designed to correct for both distance and near vision, and employ three different designs to approach the problem of presbyopia, the inability to see clearly at near, if the distance vision is sharp. Most persons over the age of 45 face the problem of needing glasses for near vision-either reading glasses or bifocals. Presbyopia is a common problem!

The most common correction required by patients having good, modern cataract and implant surgery is for presbyopia. The standard implants do a great job of providing monofocal vision-good vision at one focal point (distance, intermediate, or near). Glasses are required to provide the sharpest possible vision at the other focal points. The new presbyopia correcting lens implants were designed to treat this problem.

The ReSTOR lens, for example, corrects this problem by providing several focal points simultaneously. The brain simply ignores the near or distance image it does not need to see. This process of adaptation usually requires a few months. The most common side effect is the appearance of halos around lights at night, which only about 5% of patients report as significant.

The evaluation of patients for this lens implant is more complex and expensive than the standard testing. The implants are also more expensive than single-vision implants. Medicare does not cover the cost of refractive services, such as these presbyopia correcting implants. Therefore, there is an additional cost that must be paid "out-of-pocket" for this remarkable new technology.