Iowa Eye Center Ophthalmologist Dr. Muller talks about cataracts and surgery to restore vision.

A cataract is the lens in your eye becoming cloudy. It blurs vision, like looking through a dirty windshield. Most cataracts are a normal part of aging and can take decades to develop. Some medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart problems, may speed up the development of cataracts.

Cataracts are:

• not caused by eye strain
• not cancer or tumors
• not able to spread to your other eye
• not removed by laser
  (but lasers are being developed to help in some of the other steps of cataract surgery)

Do I have cataracts?

If your vision seems blurry or hazy, it may be an early sign of cataracts. Difficulty with nighttime vision is another. Cataracts can cause dramatic changes in your eyeglass prescriptions until eyeglasses alone don’t improve your vision. Vision issues while reading, driving, shopping, sewing or watching TV may mean you have cataracts.

If I need cataract surgery

If we confirm that you do have cataracts, you’ll talk to one of our Iowa Eye Center surgeons. They’ll guide you to an informed decision. Cataract surgery may restore your vision and improve your vision dramatically. We’ll help you figure out the right time for you and your life.

Cataract treatment

Our surgeons use microsurgical instruments and an operating microscope for the most advanced form of cataract surgery, called phacoemulsification. We do the surgery through a tiny incision (about 3 millimeters, less than 1/8 inch) which requires no stitches. It’s an outpatient surgery using local anesthesia and usually last less then fifteen minutes. No shots, no stitches, no eye patches.

After cataract surgery

After surgery, you’ll be able to return to most daily activities with minimal restriction. You will use eye drops for a short time and we’ll schedule follow-up visits to monitor your progress.

Implant lenses

Cataract surgery removes the cloudy natural lens of the eye and replaces it with a crystal clear artificial lens called an IOL (intraocular lens). There are IOL options that can correct astigmatism and eliminate the need for reading glasses.

Decades of experience

Our Iowa Eye Center surgeons have performed tens of thousands of cataract surgeries. We treat each patient and surgery with our complete attention and all our professional expertise. If you are concerned about cataracts, give us a call at (319) 362-3937 and we’ll help you assess your options for your best possible vision.