Arizona Cataract Treatment & Replacement

Now offering Crystalens® IOL replacement for Cataracts.

Southwestern Eye Center brings you the greatest in IOL technology. A new class of intraocular lens that accommodates like the eye's natural lens has now gained FDA approval. The Crystalens® is an IOL replacement for cataracts that gives patients seamless focusing up close, far away, and at all distance in-between, resulting in the best possible vision and in most cases eliminating their need for glasses and contacts for everyday tasks... a tremendous advantage over traditional IOLs.

Cataracts are defined as the clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. In a healthy eye, the clear cornea allows light through while the iris manages the amount of light entering the eye by changing the size of the pupil. The light passes through a clear lens and is focused by the lens onto the back of the eye, or the retina, creating a sharp, clear image. Unfortunately the natural aging process can cause this clear lens to gradually cloud and harden. As the clouding becomes more prominent, vision becomes fogged or blurry because the light is not clearly focused on the retina. Cataracts may take several years to develop and normally form in both eyes, however not always at the same time. Even though they are a natural part of the aging process and affect millions of Americans every year, cataracts are a vision impairment that still needs to be properly diagnosed and treated.

The presence and extent of a cataract, as well as any other conditions that may be causing blurred vision or discomfort, can be detected through a thorough eye examination by your ophthalmologist or optometrist. There are no medications, pills, vitamins, exercises or optical devices that have been shown to prevent or cure cataracts. Surgery is the only way to correct your vision and remove the cataract. Southwestern Eye Center has many qualified eye surgeons who are available to remove cataracts.

Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed and successful surgeries in the United States. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and involves two simple steps: the cloudy lens is removed and most often replaced with a uniquely designed IOL (intraocular lens), specifically powered for your eye. During the procedure a small incision is made in the eye and microsurgical instruments are used to break the cloudy lens into small pieces and then those pieces are suctioned out. The posterior or back capsule of the eye is left in place to help support the IOL. Today's "No Stitch" procedure allows you to go home quickly and experience improved vision much sooner.

You may return almost immediately to all normal activities after cataract surgery. Your ophthalmologist will instruct you in the proper use of your post surgery eye drops. Several follow-up visits to your ophthalmologist will be scheduled to check on the progress of the eye as it heals. If your vision is impaired and you believe cataracts are the cause, then it is time to call your ophthalmologist and make an appointment today.