August is Cataract Awareness Month and that means it’s time to focus on your eyes.  And believe it or not cataracts are the most common cause of blindness.  Lee Memorial Health System ophthalmologist, Michael Collins, says when the eye begins to age the cataract begins to grow and the lens also becomes cloudy overtime.  He says these symptoms usually mean you need cataract surgery.

Doctors say when your vision is affected by cataracts, it’s like looking through dirty wax paper.  Colors change and details aren’t as sharp with cataracts.  You also may suffer from poor night vision.

Dr. Collins says it can be hard for patients to detect the condition.  “It’s difficult though because cataracts come so gradually that patients typically don’t realize how much vision they’ve lost until we take one of their cataracts out.  So it’s always interesting when you come in the day after surgery and they’re saying wow I didn’t know things looked so bright or I didn’t realize my bathroom was so dirty.”

And cataract surgery has come a long way in recent years.  The incisions are smaller and doctors are using high-the implantable lenses.

Dr. Collins says the advances are impressive.    “That’s one of the nice things about cataract surgery is that it’s a permanent fix for your eyes.  Once the cataracts is out it doesn’t come back, “he says.