Cataracts are a serious vision problem and one that should never be ignored. In fact, ignoring cataracts can leave you with a worsening condition that will affect your quality of life and your ability to complete daily tasks. Although cataracts traditionally are an age-related condition, they can affect people of all ages and health conditions. In addition, patients with certain medical conditions such as diabetes may be at greater risk of cataract development. Here's a look at what you should know about why cataract surgery is an important consideration.

Cataract Surgery Doesn't Take Long

You might be hesitant to consider cataract surgery out of fear that the procedure will be lengthy and that you'll be under general anesthesia. The truth is that cataract surgery is quick and easy. In most situations, it's an outpatient procedure, so you'll go home right after the surgery is done. Most cataract surgeries take an hour or less and, while you won't be under general anesthesia, you will have a local anesthetic so you won't feel pain. You might have some blurry vision for a day or two after the surgery, but you'll notice that your vision improves and you see much clearer than before once your eyes heal.

Cataract Surgery Is Highly Effective

In the vast majority of patients, cataract surgery completely eliminates the cataracts and the visual problems that they cause. You'll find that, once your eyes heal from the surgery, your clear vision is restored. In a small number of patients, a secondary cataract may develop after surgery. While it's not a common occurrence, your eye doctor can help you address it if it does happen. Usually, this is as simple as using an in-office laser treatment that will help to clear the cloudiness.

Cataract Surgery Preserves Eye Health

Sometimes cataract patients believe that, so long as they can deal with vision loss, they don't have to worry about dealing with their cataracts. While this may be true to some extent, there comes a point where cataracts may affect your eye doctor's ability to examine your eye thoroughly and completely. This may lead to missed diagnosis of certain eye health issues, which could prove problematic. That's why it's important that you seek treatment for your cataracts even if you're tolerating them well at this point.

These are some of the most important facts about treating cataracts. Talk with your eye doctor today if you have concerns about cataract development or the existence of cataracts in your eyes.