Our team treats cataracts with the same precision and personal attention they bring to every patient at our Morristown and Hackettstown offices. Whether you’re just noticing your night vision isn’t what it used to be or you’re ready to figure out what lens is right for you, our team can help you take the next step to clearer vision and a better quality of life.
At birth, our natural lens is clear and focuses light onto the retina for clear vision. As we age, proteins begin to develop in the lens, causing it to yellow, harden and become cloudy, preventing light from properly reaching your retina. This clouding of the natural lens is known as a cataract and is usually a result of the natural aging process. Everyone over the age of 50 will at some point develop cataracts.
As the natural lens becomes cloudier, vision becomes compromised. People with cataracts may experience:
Since cataracts are a normal part of aging, most people become candidates once the condition starts interfering with daily life rather than at any set age.
A comprehensive eye exam is the starting point, confirming the cataract diagnosis and checking for other conditions, such as glaucoma, that could also be affecting your vision.
A compromised retina is one factor that leads some surgeons to hesitate on cataract surgery altogether. Dr. Lalin’s background as a retina specialist changes that calculation. Because he treats both the cataract and the retinal condition, patients who might otherwise be told to wait or seek care elsewhere can typically move forward with surgery planned around their full eye health, not just the cataract in isolation.
With over 3 million cataract surgeries performed each year, lens replacement remains the most frequently performed surgery in the U.S. and is one of the safest as well.
During cataract surgery, your cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a clear lens implant. The lens implant is made of a pliable material, which is folded and inserted through a narrow incision into the eye. That lens is called an intraocular lens (IOL), and the choice of implants is critical to the way you’ll see for the rest of your life.
During your Lens Evaluation visit, Dr. Lalin will ask you about your career, hobbies, activity level, night vision requirements, and other vision needs, recommending lens implant options that will deliver the range of vision you desire after surgery. Remember that this surgery is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the resulting vision will be what you enjoy the rest of your life. Having this discussion and custom-matching the right lens implant to your lifestyle is a critical part of your Lens Evaluation.
Cataract surgery follows a predictable path, and knowing what happens at each stage tends to ease most of the nerves patients bring into their first visit.
Everything starts with your Lens Evaluation, where Dr. Lalin measures your eyes and talks through your daily routine to determine which IOL fits your lifestyle. You’ll also review surgery fees and insurance coverage at this visit so there are no surprises about cost before your procedure is scheduled. In the days leading up to surgery, you’ll receive instructions on any eye drops to start and what to do the morning of your appointment.
Cataract removal is an outpatient procedure, and most patients are in and out within a few hours. Surgery itself typically takes about 10 to 15 minutes per eye. You’ll receive numbing drops and light sedation, so you’ll be relaxed but not put under general anesthesia.
Dr. Lalin removes the clouded natural lens through a small incision and replaces it with the IOL you selected during your evaluation, performing the procedure at our on-site ambulatory surgical center in Morristown.
You’ll rest briefly in a recovery area before heading home the same day, and you’ll need a driver since your vision will still be adjusting from the sedation.
Mild grittiness, light sensitivity, and blurry vision are common for the first day or two. Most patients notice a significant improvement in clarity within 24 to 48 hours, with full stabilization over the following weeks.
You’ll use prescribed eye drops for a few weeks to control inflammation and prevent infection, and Dr. Lalin will see you for follow-up visits to confirm your eye is healing as expected.
When cataracts begin to develop, you may notice that night driving becomes more difficult, as you experience more halos and glare from oncoming headlights, and find it harder to see street signs. You may also feel you need more light to read than in the past as your cataracts worsen. These vision changes are often subtle and gradual, but cataracts will continue to progress until eventually there is a complete loss of vision in your eye.
Non-surgical treatments such as glasses may be used to minimize the symptoms of early cataracts, temporarily improving your vision. However, surgery to remove the cataract is the only cure.
You should consider surgery when cataracts cause enough loss of vision to interfere with your daily activities.
The lens implant you choose during your Lens Evaluation shapes how you’ll see for decades, so this decision deserves real thought rather than a default pick.
Traditional monofocal lenses correct vision clearly at one distance, usually far away, which means most patients still rely on reading glasses afterward.
Multifocal and extended depth-of-focus lenses correct vision at more than one distance, and for many patients they meaningfully reduce or eliminate the need for glasses altogether.
If astigmatism is part of your prescription, a toric lens can correct that at the same time as the cataract, rather than leaving it for glasses to handle later.
Your career, hobbies, and night driving habits all matter here. Someone who reads for hours or works up close all day has different priorities than someone who spends weekends on the golf course or driving long distances at night.
Dr. Lalin walks through these tradeoffs with every patient individually, because the right lens for a photographer isn’t necessarily the right lens for an accountant, even if their eyes measure the same.
Cataract surgery only happens once per eye, which makes the surgeon and the surgical setting just as important as the lens itself.
Dr. Sean Lalin performs cataract procedures using advanced diagnostic technology to precisely measure each eye before surgery, so the outcome matches what was planned during your Lens Evaluation rather than leaving results to chance.
Surgery takes place at our own outpatient ambulatory surgical center in Morristown, which means you’re treated in a facility built specifically for eye surgery instead of navigating a large hospital system on the day of your procedure. That same team follows you through your pre-operative testing, your surgery, and every post-operative visit, so the person who measured your eyes is the same person operating on them and the same person checking your healing afterward.
Visit Us to Learn Your Lens Options
Watch the video below to hear from Dr. Lalin, or schedule your lens evaluation to speak with him directly. Call us at (973) 871-2020 or use the form on this page.