I was recently diagnosed with cataracts, but I’m only 56 years old. Should I wait until I get a little older before I have the surgery?

While nobody wants to live with cataracts, some people are so frightened by the prospect of surgery that they would rather let their vision deteriorate.  Others believe that their cataracts have to “ripen” before they can be removed, or that they must wait until their doctor tells them the cataracts are bad enough.  This can lead to a delay that makes recovery significantly slower.

Cataracts typically tend to start to form by the late 50s, and may begin to subtly affect vision.  Early signs may include a change in focus, need for brighter lights to read, glare from lights, or an overall dimming of the vision.  As cataracts progress, these symptoms become even more prominent.  It turns out that with modern techniques such as laser-assisted cataract surgery, treating cataracts is safer and more effective than ever before.  Additionally, removing cataracts at an earlier stage may decrease surgical risks and speed up recovery time.  And of course, having cataracts removed earlier provides you with more years to enjoy the benefits of glasses freedom!  For those who do wait until their cataracts become very dense, all is not lost; the good news is that laser-assisted cataract surgery is safe even for the worst cataracts.  It allows surgeons to gently and painlessly divide cataracts into smaller segments that can be more easily removed from the eye without using ultrasound.

Recovery from cataract surgery on dense lenses may take a little longer, but the visual results are permanent and amazing.  It may be better to replace cataracts at an earlier stage, but even the worst cases can be life changing!