Cataracts

Cataract Eye Surgery Murrieta

What Is a Cataract?

A cataract is a “clouding” of the eye’s natural lens, which results in blurred or defocused vision. Cataracts are often described as looking through wax paper or cloudy cellophane. People with cataracts also have color differentiation issues and may not be able to tell the difference between two black socks, for example. According to a recent article published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, more than 20 million adults in the U.S. have developed cataracts making it the number one cause of poor vision in the United States. In most cases, cataract surgery is required. During this procedure, the natural lens is replaced with an artificial lens, often referred to as an intraocular lens or IOL. This surgery is highly successful and has dramatically improved over the years.
 

What are the Symptoms of a Cataract?

  • Blurred or cloudy vision
  • Colors appear faded or dull
  • Lamps such as headlights or streetlights have glare or halos; sunlight may appear too bright
  • Poor night vision/difficulty driving at night
  • Double or multiple vision in one eye; this effect may disappear as the cataract grows

Cataract Eye Treatment

Cataract surgery is necessary to remove the cloudy lens which is then replaced by an intraocular lens, or IOL. Until recently, all IOLs were fixed for one distance; requiring most patients to need glasses after cataract surgery. Today, there are many different lens options available and depending on your individual needs and lifestyle, our surgeon Dr. LoBue will help you decide which lens is best for you.

No-Shot, No-Stitch, No-Patch Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is performed on an outpatient basis at our own surgery center, the newest, most state-of-the-art facility of its kind in the area. A majority of our cataract surgery patients require no needles since their eyes are numbed using eye drops only. By using eye drops to numb the eyes rather than an injection, a cataract surgery patient experiences a much more rapid recovery from treatment and is not required to wear a patch over the eye.

Advanced Technology Intraocular Lenses
Revolutionary Lens

LoBue Laser and Eye Center in Murrieta is recognized as a leader in cataract surgery and lens replacement, specializing in the advanced premium lens procedure. At the time of cataract surgery, you can choose to have your natural lens replaced with either a traditional single focus intraocular lens (IOL) or a multifocal intraocular lens or accommodating IOL called an advanced premium lens.

An advanced premium lens provides all distance vision, allowing clear vision at all distances – near, intermediate, and at a distance. Most advanced premium lens patients experience visual freedom after their procedure, allowing them to see without glasses.

The Advanced Premium Lens Procedure: Finally, Life Without Glasses
Imagine a life free from the restrictions and hassles of glasses. If you are suffering from poor vision and dependence on glasses due to a cataract or if you simply want to be less dependent on glasses, the advanced premium lens may be for you. These trifocal or accommodating IOLs allow you to experience all distance vision.  You will be able to read to your grandchildren, play cards with your friends, and enjoy all of your favorite activities like golfing, swimming, sewing, and tennis without the nuisance of glasses.

IQ Toric IOL: Cataract and Cornea Astigmatism Correction
Referred to as “the emerging standard” and a “triumphant moment in cataract surgery,” the AcrySof® IQ Toric IOL corrects for cataracts with pre-existing astigmatism simultaneously by delivering more precise, predictable outcomes and quality distance vision—without the need for glasses following surgery.

The AcrySof® IQ Toric IOL may also eliminate, in many cases, the need for limbal relaxing incisions, a technique in which incisions are made at the edge of the cornea to cause it to heal in a more spherical shape.

The latest in a long line of IOL innovations from Alcon, the new AcrySof® IQ Toric IOL takes the most trusted platform for precise astigmatism correction and adds the enhanced image quality of an aspheric lens.

Like the AcrySof®  PanOptix® IOL, the AcrySof® IQ Toric IOL offers high energy blue light protection, which shields your eyes not only from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of sunlight but also from artificial lighting such as fluorescent light bulbs—both of which have been linked as possible contributors to cataracts.

IQ PanOptix® IOL
When you can see more, you can do more. With IQ PanOptix® Trifocal IOL, you can redefine your vision.

With more than 50 million implants in cataract surgeries worldwide, the AcrySof® family of lenses are the most frequently used intraocular lenses (IOLs) in the world, largely because physicians appreciate the long-term clinical results and unmatched stability.

The first and only trifocal IOL available in the United States, the AcrySof® IQ PanOptix® IOL draws upon decades of expertise and technology for an intraocular lens that truly helps cataract patients see life differently—while reducing the need for reading glasses or bifocals after surgery. 

While a traditional monofocal lens can help you see far away, the AcrySof® IQ PanOptix® Lens gives you a full range of vision, so that you can immerse in a full range of activities. A trifocal lens, PanOptix® provides clear distance vision, enhanced intermediate vision, and excellent near vision. The lens you choose matters. Imagine how you could use clear, complete vision.

In a clinical trial, after having the AcrySof® IQ PanOptix® IOL implanted in both eyes, 99% percent of patients reported they would choose the same lens again.

In the same study, 98% percent of patients  indicated that they would recommend the lens to friends and family.

Here’s what makes AcrySof® IQ PanOptix® IOLs so unique:

  • The majority of modern IOLs are made from either silicone or a hard plastic called polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), but AcrySof® PanOptix® IOL uses a soft, foldable acrylic, which makes implantation easier for the surgeon and more comfortable for the patient. A smaller incision also removes the need for stitches, providing faster recovery times and clearer, more youthful vision.
  •  With AcrySof® PanOptix® IOL, patients with both cataracts and presbyopia can have both conditions corrected at the same time, eliminating the need for spectacles after surgery in many patients.
  • Many IOLs today offer ultraviolet (UV) light-filtering protection, as sunlight has long been suspected as a contributor to cataracts by damaging the retina. AcrySof® PanOptix® IOL offers similar filters, protecting your eyes from all high-energy blue light, which includes not only the sun’s harmful rays but also artificial light such as fluorescent bulbs.