Cataracts are often a normal part of aging, affecting millions of people with a slow, progressive loss of vision that can even lead to blindness.
But the latest technology is making cataract surgery a snap. Susan Tavis an advertising representative at ABC 36., and she let us tag along as she had her cataracts removed.
ABC 36 News wanted to see if the surgery truly offers all that it promises.
Tavis is like many Americans, keeping her glasses close by and inching closer to her computer screen over the years. She found herself having trouble seeing at night and blinking a lot more.
"I didn't even realize i was doing it until one of my coworkers mentioned something to me about it," said Susan.
Susan went to her eye doctor expecting to get new glasses, maybe even Lasik surgery. After finding out the bad news, the good news was susan's eyes could be easily corrected.
Dr. Thomas Abell has done tens of thousands of cataract surgeries over the years, and says today's technology makes the procedure easier than ever.
"You'll be at the surgery center a couple of hours. You'll be in the O.R. maybe 30 minutes and during that time you'll be given some IV sedation, so you'll be very comfortable; maybe asleep, maybe awake, but very relaxed, and the surgery itself is maybe 10 minutes or so," said Dr. Abell.
Like Susan, many people experience loss of vision so slowly with cataracts, that they often don't realize there's even a problem until many years down the line. By then, their perception of color, brightness, and focus is so off the results of the surgery can sometimes be a shock.
Susan says she isn't expecting any shockers; she just wants to see all the details she's been missing.
"Just the thought of being able to see and see clearly without glasses with be wonderful," she said.
