Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

FAIRFIELD — Walter Wallace had worn glasses since the late 1970s.

But as the cataracts in his eyes worsened, his vision became too blurry to drive at night or see the pins at the bowling ally.

So Wallace decided this spring to get cataract surgery, a procedure in which a doctor replaces the damaged lens with an artificial intraocular lens or IOL.

The latest lens implants such as multifocal and toric lenses, not only improve vision, but typically eliminate the need for glasses.

"The minute I came home (from surgery) I could read the paper," said Wallace of Fairfield. "It's terrific. I still can't believe it."

More than 22 million adults 40 and older suffer from cataracts and the number of cases is rising, fueled largely by baby boomers.

Cataracts are the No. 1 age-related eye disease suffered by Americans, with more cases than glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy combined, according to Prevent Blindness of America.

Surgery options for cataract sufferers vary, but Wallace chose a ReStor lens, which is the most popular multifocal lens on the market.

Dr. Daniel C. Love, ophthalmologist at the Butler County Medical Center in Hamilton, is one of a few doctors in the county who perform the procedure.

Love said lens implants have been available since the 1970s, but new technology allows patients to see near and far and get rid of their glasses.

"Baby boomers don't want to wear glasses if they don't have to," Love said.

Love performs about 300 cataract surgeries a year, but said more would likely get the procedure if patients could get full insurance coverage on the lenses.

Medicare pays for monofocal lenses and the added cost of an upgrade must be paid by the patient, which can be about $2,000, Love said.

"The tradeoff is that you may not have to buy glasses for the next 20 years. You may only have to wear $5 reading glasses if that."

Gary Brown, 54, of Hamilton recommends the procedure.

Brown, who could barely see out of his left eye, had the surgery nearly two months ago.

"If I covered up my right eye I could only see light and images," Brown said. "I went and had it done and I couldn't be happier. It's like being reborn again. I can actually read without the glasses I've had since I was 40."

Cataract symptoms

Blurred vision

Problems with lights, glare from lamps or the sun or a halo or haze around lights

Colors that seem faded

Double vision

Frequent changes in eyeglasses or contacts

Cataract surgery steps

1. A small incision is made in the cornea.

2. A flap is cut in the lens capsule.

3. A vibrating probe breaks up the cataract (lens), which is then removed by suction.

4. An artificial lens is inserted into the lens capsule where it unfolds.