Yes! For those who have already developed a formal cataract, typically found in patients ages 60 and above, we recommend modern cataract surgery. Learn more about cataract surgery here.

For younger patients who exhibit the beginning stages of cataracts, but do not have a fully-developed cataract, we recommend Clear Lens Exchange (CLE). This procedure corrects vision and eliminates the inevitable need for cataract surgery later in life. With CLE, a very advanced implantable lens is put in the place of your eye’s original lens. This new lens corrects distance vision and astigmatism. It’s a permanent lens and the patient will not develop a cataract again.

By the age of 80, most Americans will have developed cataracts, which occur when your human lens becomes clouded to such an extent that it affects your vision and quality of life. This condition typically occurs with age, but can also result from trauma, disease, and use of certain medications.

Several groups have an increased risk for developing cataracts and eventually need cataract surgery. Examples include:

• Smokers
• Diabetics
• Steroid users
• Patients who have experienced trauma

If you have cataracts, or plan to have cataract surgery, and you would like to be evaluated, the doctors of Katzen Eye Group would be delighted to assist you. Our doctors are recognized by their patients and colleagues as innovators and pioneers in cataract and intraocular lens (IOL) surgery. Katzen Eye Group doctors were the first in Maryland and among the first in the nation to perform modern day cataract and implant surgery.

Cataract treatment is offered at Katzen Eye Group in Baltimore, at Mercy Medical Center, and in Lutherville-Towson, Maryland. Call us today so we can help you achieve a brighter future!

Typically, we find that a key indicator of cataract development is the introduction of “night halos” or glares in vision. That, coupled with the above signs (difficulty driving and reading or colors appearing less sharp/vivid) may be warning signs of a cataract.

However, the BEST way to know if you have or are developing a cataract is by scheduling a consultation with one of our eye doctors. There, a doctor will run tests to properly assess your vision and whether or not cataract surgery is right for you.

About 2 hours, including the diagnostic procedures.

Cataract surgery is a simple procedure with an excellent success record. The clouded natural lens is replaced with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL). It is done on an outpatient basis with a topical anesthetic that will make it a painless procedure. One eye is done at a time, with a short healing period in between.

After making a very small incision outside your field of vision, your eye surgeon will insert a tiny probe and use ultrasound to break up the clouded natural lens. With suction, the pieces are easily removed, and through the same incision, the IOL is inserted and positioned correctly. You may have a protective shield to wear during sleep for about a week, and your eye surgeon will prescribe eye drops to be used several times each day for several weeks. For best results, it is very important that you follow your surgeon’s post-operative instructions exactly.

Clear Lens Exchange (CLE) is a surgical vision correction procedure that restores nearsightedness and farsightedness, and eliminates the need for eventual cataract surgery late in life.