Cataract Surgery: Can I Wait Too Long?

“Dr. Leslie-what happens if I wait too long to have my cataract surgery. Is it a problem?” ask some patients of Connecticut Cataract Surgeon Leslie Doctor, M.D. She shared some thoughts about patient concerns regarding waiting too long to have cataract surgery and lens implants. “The decision of when to have a cataract removed and replaced with lens implants is really a very personal decision,” said Dr. Doctor. “Some patients are simply not comfortable with the slightest degree of blurry vision or glare sensitivity, whereas others surprise me with how tolerant they are. So, I generally tell patients that their cataracts should be removed when they feel that they have visual discomfort or inconvenience-or any safety issues with navigating each day’s activities with confidence,” Dr Doctor explained. 

What patients should know though is that waiting too long for cataract surgery can result is some unintended consequences and possible risks. “As a cataract matures, it does become denser and somewhat more difficult to remove. This requires more energy from the instruments and techniques we use and may lead to prolonged inflammation or even intraoperative complications,” stated Dr. Doctor. “For certain we don’t want the cataract to become so dense, swollen and cloudy that it causes a type of glaucoma or impair our view of the retina,” Dr. Doctor stressed. “In these instances your cataract surgeon is likely to recommend proceeding with cataract removal even though you may not think you are quite ready.”

If you or someone you know has a cataract or is need of cataract surgery and lens implants please feel free to call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center.

Whatever your eye care, eye health or vision correction needs might be-Doctor & Associates can serve as a Connecticut ophthalmic consultant and will be conveniently located for patients from Fairfield County and southern Connecticut including Danbury, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Cannondale, Aspetuck, Redding, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Darien, Glenbrook and Ridgefield Connecticut.