If you're wondering whether or not your foggy vision is caused by a cataract, our San Antonio eye doctor will be pleased to give you a comprehensive eye exam and either confirm your suspicion or put your mind at ease by giving you the all-clear. It is determined you have a cataract, there are several ways to go about treating it. The first step is to schedule an eye examination appointment with our optometrist at Medina Eye Care at either our San Antonio office or our office in Castroville.
Determining When Cataract Surgery is Appropriate
Since the rule of thumb is to wait until a cataract is interfering with your quality of life, our optometrist may recommend you wait until your cataract is severely limiting your ability to see. When you do feel you are reaching this point, our optometrist will advise you to schedule a cataract evaluation to judge their degree of progression.
Cataract Evaluation
When you do schedule an appointment for a cataract evaluation you should choose a day when you have several hours to spare since it consists of a series of tests and administering eye drops that dilate your pupils. These tests include:
- A Visual Acuity Test in which you will be asked to read letters of varying sizes on a chart to determine how well you see at a distance. Our optometrist administers it this time so he can judge how much worse your vision has gotten since he diagnosed your cataract.
- A Contrast Sensitivity Test which may resemble the visual acuity test but is considered a more effective test of cataracts since it concentrates more on how much light scattering and glare has impacted your vision for the worse, both of which are indications of a cataract.
- A Slit Lamp Test to determine how clouded your lens has become. Our optometrist will use a special microscope with a ledge on which to rest your chin and a slit through which he will shine a light so he can see your eye's lens.
- A Pupil Dilation Test is necessary since the clouding of the lens is not noticeable until a cataract has reached an advanced stage. Special eye drops will be administered to dilate your pupils which will allow our optometrist to see back to the lens.
Is it Time for Your Cataracts to Be Evaluated?
If you feel you need additional testing to see if it is time for cataract surgery, contact Medina Eye Care so we can schedule a cataract evaluation. We have locations in San Antonio and Castroville. For more information about cataracts or to schedule an appointment, call us at (210) 225-4141.