Thursday, August 2, 2012

Birmingham Alabama Cataract Awareness

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham wants to make patients aware of the symptoms of a cataract, how common cataracts are today and how effective modern cataract surgery and lens implants can be in restoring vision. “Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide. In the United States alone, more than about 20 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts and more than half of all Americans will actually develop cataracts by age 80,” commented Birmingham Cataract Surgeon & Corneal Specialist Marc Michelson, M.D.

Many patients do not actually know that a cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens of the eye preventing light rays from passing through it easily. This results in a clouding and blurring of vision. Patients should understand that cataracts are not a growth or a film over the eye. For many patients cataracts start out slowly and have little effect on vision at first. But, as the cataract becomes denser, so does the impact on vision. The most common symptoms that bother patients with cataracts can include blurring of vision, sensitivity to light and glare, double vision in one eye, poor night vision, fading or yellowing of colors and frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescriptions.


“When cataracts do begin to interfere with daily activities or with patient comfort and safety, they can be treated surgically. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most frequently performed surgeries in the United States. Today, we have a full range of Intraocular Lens Implants (IOL) available that allow us to correct near vision as well as distance vision without requiring bifocals or reading glasses for the vast majority of patients”, said Dr. Michelson. 

If you or someone you know is bothered by the symptoms of cataracts or has questions or concerns about having a cataract, cataract surgery or lens implants please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision to schedule an appointment. 

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham staffed by a team of specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser eye surgery such as LASIK for laser vision correction, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.