Best Cataract Surgeons in Lebanon County PA

If you suspect or know you have cataracts, you will need an eye specialist called an ophthalmologist, who is a medical doctor specially trained in surgical treatment of eye conditions. If you are in this situation, the best cataract surgeons in Lebanon County, PA are close by in the Lebanon office of Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained surgeons have the knowledge, expertise and training to diagnose and treat your cataracts.

About Cataract Surgery

Surgery is the only way to repair a cataract, which forms from a protein breakdown in the eye. This breakdown is a natural part of aging and affects most people by age 75 significantly enough that surgery is required. Clouding of the lens is uncommon before age 40 and more commonly starts around age 60. Most people don’t initially have any symptoms, which is why eye exams are very important in cataract detection.

Our surgeons will recommend surgery when a patient has significant interference with vision, such as difficulty reading or driving. There are three main types of cataract surgery and we will tailor that to your individual needs. Regardless of the specific type of surgery, all cataract surgery is safe and painless, done with minimal sedation and taking less than an hour. The procedures are outpatient procedures, so you will go home the same day. Cataracts can form in one or both eyes, and we will only operate on one eye at a time. When your first eye is completely healed, we will operate on the other eye.

Forms of Cataract Surgery

Phacoemulsification is the most common cataract surgery technique. The surgeon uses an ultrasound probe to break up the clouded lens which is then suctioned out of the eye. After the cataract is removed, an artificial lens is implanted. No stitches are required.

The other two forms of surgery are called extracapsular and intracapsular surgery. Extracapsular cataract surgery is typically used when a patient has very advanced cataracts. The lens is too clouded with protein to break it into fragments. This technique uses a larger incision to remove the cataract in one piece and it does require stitches to close the larger incision. Recovery usually takes longer for this procedure.

Intracapsular cataract surgery is even more extensive than the extracapsular technique. The surgeon makes a larger incision and removes the lens and its surrounding capsule to completely remove the cataract. These days, surgeons rarely use this method.

Lens Implants

Artificial lenses are replacements for the eye’s natural lens. These lenses are designed to focus light in the same way that the natural lens does. The lens is placed in the original position of the natural lens, so vision is restored. Your depth perception and peripheral vision will not be affected.

Many patients have 20/20 vision but have a cataract, therefore removal of that cataract and replacement with a clear lens restores vision. Some patients have vision problems that were present before the cataract, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness. These days, lens technology is so advanced that we can correct vision by implanting monofocal or multifocal lenses, and even toric lenses to correct astigmatism.

Monofocal lenses are the most common implants used today to provide distance vision. Patients can usually wear reading glasses to assist with near vision. Multifocal lenses are a new advancement in lens technology and allow the patient to see at various distances with one lens implant. A toric lens is required to correct astigmatism and is specially designed to improve both distance and near vision.

If you suspect or know you have cataracts, come see the best cataract surgeons in Lebanon County, PA at the Lebanon office of Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania. Cataracts typically have no early warning signs, so our eye exam is important. Call us today.