/assets/production/practices/f919edc6e73d59b3fe1d6c52c9471f849a6d9f95/images/2765199.jpeg)
Cataract services offered in Fairfax, VA
Cataracts affect more than 20 million people aged 40 and older in the United States. Don’t let cataract-related cloudy vision negatively impact your quality of life. At Fairfax Cataract and Retina in Fairfax, Virginia, board-certified ophthalmologist Mehrine Shaikh, MD, diagnoses and treats cataracts using latest technology including laser assisted cataract surgery to provide the clearer vision and optimal eye health you deserve. Schedule an eye exam at Fairfax Cataract and Retina by calling the office or requesting an appointment online today.
What are cataracts?
Cataracts are cloudy areas in your eye’s lens. The lens is a flexible, clear structure made up of proteins that tend to break down with aging. This causes blurred, cloudy vision and glare near lights that typically worsens over time when left untreated. Cataract surgery with Dr. Shaikh at Fairfax Cataract and Retina removes the clouded lens and replaces it with a clear lens, restoring your vision.
What are the symptoms of cataracts?
Cataracts can cause the following symptoms:
- Cloudy, blurred, or filmy vision
- Light sensitivity
- Faded colors
- Glare, streaks, or halos around lights
- Difficulty seeing well at night
- Double vision
- Needing brighter light for reading
- Nearsightedness that worsens
Cataracts may make it seem like you’re looking through dirty glass. Over time, you could have a difficult time completing everyday tasks because of cataracts.
What are the risk factors for cataracts?
Cataract symptoms often appear at age 60 or older, though people with diabetes may have symptoms at a younger age. Risk factors include:
- Aging
- Toxins
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Pesticides
- Chemicals
- Long-term sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) light exposure
- Radiation therapy to the upper body
- Diabetes
- High blood sugar
- Previous eye surgery
- Other eye diseases
- Corticosteroids
- Family history of cataracts
- Genetic mutations
About one in five people aged 65 to 74 struggle with cataracts that affect their vision, and more than half of people older than 80 have cataracts or have undergone cataract surgery.
How are cataracts diagnosed?
Diagnosing cataracts involves a comprehensive eye exam. Dr. Shaikh closely examines your eyes to detect signs of cataracts. She reviews your eye health and medical history and may complete a visual acuity test, slit lamp exam, or other specialized testing.
How are cataracts treated?
Cataracts are typically treated with cataract surgery, a procedure in which Dr. Shaikh removes a clouded lens from your eye and replaces it with an artificial lens that’s clear. This new intraocular lens remains in your eye permanently. Full recovery after cataract surgery may take 4-8 weeks, but vision improvements appear much sooner.
Adopting healthy habits, such as not smoking, undergoing routine eye care, and protecting your eyes from the sun, may reduce the risk of cataracts or delay their development.
Schedule a cataracts evaluation at Fairfax Cataract and Retina by calling the office or booking an appointment online today.