A cataract forms when the normal clear lens of the eye becomes progressively clouded.

Symptoms include:

• Blurred or hazy vision
• Problem with glare, especially when driving at night
• Decreased color vision - color looks washed out
• Difficulty with reading or seeing the television or computer screen

Cataracts are most often caused by routine aging changes but can occur at any age and are sometimes associated with medications, trauma, and certain medical conditions such as diabetes.

Dr. Mannarino has presently performed over 14,000 cataract procedures.

Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed procedure in the United States. It involves the removal of the clouded lens and replacement with an artificial lens implant, which is meant to be permanent. Cataracts do not grow back and do not need to be "ripe." They are removed when they interfere with the patient's lifestyle.

We perform a minimally invasive, no-stitch cataract surgery called phacoemulsification ("phaco") surgery. First, the eye is numbed with anesthesia. Then a tiny incision is made in the eye to make room for a small ultrasonic probe. This probe breaks up, or emulsifies, the cloudy lens into tiny pieces.

After the cloudy lens has been removed, a new artificial lens is implanted in the eye. With the recent advance of foldable IOLs (intraocular lenses), artificial lenses can be implanted through the same small incision from the phaco procedure.

At Century Eye Care, we use the most advanced intraocular lens implants approved by the FDA. We also make available the new multifocal lens implants, which are designed to reduce a person's need for reading glasses after cataract surgery. We were the first practice to use multifocal lens implants in Bucks County and successfully implanted the "Array" multifocal lens in 1997, almost a decade before the new technology lenses became available in the bulk of ophthalmic surgeons' offices.