Cataract Basics from the National Eye Institute

What is a cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.

A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other.

What are the symptoms of a cataract?

The most common symptoms of a cataract are:

• Cloudy or blurry vision.
• Colors seem faded.
• Glare. Headlights, lamps, or sunlight may appear too bright. A halo may appear around lights.
• Poor night vision.
• Double vision or multiple images in one eye. (This symptom may clear as the cataract gets larger.)
• Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
• These symptoms also can be a sign of other eye problems. If you have any of these symptoms, check with your eye care professional.

Cataract Surgery with Dr. Goldman

Cataract surgery is one of the most common procedures performed in the United States, and is also one of the most effective. In cataract surgery, Dr. Goldman removes the eye's cloudy natural lens and replaces it with a permanent artificial lens.

Dr. Goldman performs most procedures without stitches or needles. The surgery itself can take as little as fifteen minutes. Patients arrive in the morning for registration and surgery, spend a few hours recovering, and usually leave for home by the early afternoon. It is common for patients to show marked improvement in vision the very next day, and to be fully healed within weeks of surgery.

The surgery is performed at St. Lukes Hospital in Newburgh, and will soon move to the new surgicenter currently under construction in Cornwall.

To set up a cataract screening at our Cornwall office, call us at (845) 534-2424. We monitor our voicemail seven days a week, so feel free to leave a message after normal office hours.