You’ve have been diagnosed with a cataract. You may be experiencing blurry or hazy vision or colors may seem less vibrant. Some people describe it as looking through a foggy or dirty car windshield. This is because a cataract is quite literally a clouding of the lens of the eye.
Fortunately, cataract surgery is effective in correcting this problem. During surgery, the lens of your eye that has become cloudy is removed and replaced with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens or IOL.
Cataracts Do Not Grow Back
You might be wondering, can a cataract grow back after surgery? The answer is no. Cataracts do not grow back. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens. During cataract surgery the cloudy lens is removed. Artificial lenses do not form cataracts.
Secondary Cataracts
While cataracts do not grow back, it is not uncommon several months (or years) after cataract surgery to notice blurry vision similar to what you experienced with the original cataract. Fortunately, this is not the recurrence of a cataract and it is a condition that is easily treated. It’s called posterior capsular opacification, more commonly known as a “secondary cataract.”
There is a small sac called the “capsule” that once enclosed your natural lens and held it in place. During cataract surgery, the new lens is typically placed inside the capsule. Sometimes the back, or posterior side of the capsule can become cloudy or “opacified.”
Because vision can become blurry again after cataract surgery, it might feel like the cataract returned, but that is not the case.
About 25% of patients experience a secondary cataract. Fortunately, it is easily treated with a simple laser procedure that is usually performed in the doctor’s office. Using a laser beam, the doctor will make a small opening in the clouded capsule to allow light through. It’s a painless procedure that usually takes less than five minutes to perform. Most patients experience improved vision immediately, while some experience gradual improvement over several days.
References:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/cataracts.htmsecondary
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/faq-cataract-secondary.htm
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/ask-ophthalmologist-q/how-soon-secondary-cataract
