Around the age of 40, our lenses start becoming dysfunctional and losing their flexibility, resulting in a condition called presbyopia, or difficulty with reading vision. This loss of flexibility is due to proteins in the lens changing, creating hardening and discoloration of the lens.

As the lens ages further, those degraded proteins create even more cloudiness and dysfunction, eventually becoming a cataract. When this begins to affect activities of daily life, such as driving and reading, surgery to remove the lens (and replace it with an artificial lens) is often recommended. This will allow light to pass clearly through to the back of the eye and improve your vision. Learn more with Dr. Tendler’s videos below or view our full Cataract Education Series on YouTube.

The main symptom of cataracts is increasingly foggy or blurry vision when driving, seeing road signs, and reading that isn’t made clear by a current eyeglasses or contact lens prescription. People often begin to realize they require brighter light to be able to read. Other sight-related symptoms sometimes include restricted night vision, seeing more glare or halos, and eyesight with a general brownish/yellowish tone. Glasses correction may also be changing more frequently. Cataracts do not cause pain and are generally present for several years before they produce any vision impairment. Usually, the condition starts to develop somewhere between the ages of 40-50; however, a great number of patients do not experience cataract symptoms prior to their 60s.

A cataract is the result of the age-related, natural breakdown of the proteins within the eye's lens. This process occurs in all people, though there are other lifestyle and health issues that may have an impact. Lifestyle choices, like smoking and vaping, drinking (excessive consumption), and prolonged exposure to UV rays have been shown to correspond with developing cataracts earlier, as have health conditions, like diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure. Other factors that might worsen the condition include:

• High myopia (nearsightedness)

• Injury to the eye

• Certain medications, such as steroids

• Previous eye surgery

• A family history of cataracts

There are three common types of cataracts:

Nuclear Sclerosis Cataract (NS) – The most common type of cataract, NS cataracts are age-related and caused by the hardening and yellowing of the lens over time.

Cortical Cataract – These white, opaque cataracts appear in the cortex (the outer edge) of the lens, affecting the water content of the eye and causing fissures.

Posterior Subcapsular Cataract (PSC) – As the name suggests, PSCs appear on the posterior (back) surface of the lens, interfering with reading and causing halos.

To find out if your vision is impacted enough to qualify for cataract surgery, Dr. Tendler will conduct comprehensive diagnostics and any ancillary testing that may be needed. She will discuss how to best optimize your vision and review options for how you would like to see your world after surgery, and whether corrective lenses fit into your life for everyday activities.

At ART Vision, we offer comprehensive diagnostic care, advanced technology, extreme precision, and cutting-edge treatment options so that our patients' lives do not have to be affected by poor vision. During a consultation at our Sioux Falls, SD facility, our team will discuss your medical history, eye health and lifestyle before determining if refractive cataract surgery is a good choice for you. The advanced technology used to complete refractive cataract surgery helps offer incredible speed and precision when used by a skilled ophthalmologist surgeon, like Dr. Alison R. Tendler.

Candidates for refractive cataract surgery are healthy individuals who wish to minimize their dependence on glasses. This advanced cataract surgery can be used on those with presbyopia, astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness.

Distance and Near Lens-Based Surgery (Insurance + Elective)

If you desire the best possible distance and near vision and would like to wear glasses as little as possible, this option is for you. Advanced technology is used to help determine candidacy and will be used to help determine the best lens for meeting your distance and near goals, including astigmatism. This option provides the lowest use of glasses for distance AND reading vision. Glasses will still be needed in special circumstances, such as reading fine print or reading at arm's length (10-15% of the time).

Distance, Intermediate + Near Lens-Based Surgery (Insurance + Elective)

If you desire the best vision for all distances (such as reading a menu, looking a a computer screen driving), and would like to wear glasses as little as possible, this option is for you.

Distance Only Lens-Based Surgery (Insurance + Elective)

If you desire the best possible distance vision and are satisfied with wearing reading glasses for near and intermediate tasks, this option is for you. Advanced technology will be used to help determine the precise lens for meeting your distance needs, including astigmatism. This option provides the lowest use of distance glasses but does NOT help near or reading vision.

For both of the above options, you will receive extended follow up care and a laser enhancement if needed for up to two years following surgery to maximize your vision result.

Refractive cataract surgery is performed in the comfort of our state-of-the-art facility as an outpatient procedure. You will be able to return home soon after your procedure is performed. The procedure technique used to complete refractive cataract surgery is very similar to that of traditional cataract removal surgery with increased precision and accuracy to help reach your best vision.

The procedure typically takes around 15-30 minutes. Once completed, patients relax for about 10-20 minutes and can then be discharged home with a driver.

When your surgery is complete, you may be given an eye patch or protective cover to wear during your recovery. A member of our team will provide you with detailed instructions, including how to administer and how long to use eye drops that will be prescribed to you following surgery. Remember not to touch, rub, scratch, or push on your eye while it is healing. Follow-up appointments will be scheduled before you leave our facility. It is important that you attend each of these visits so that Dr. Tendler can check on the progress of your recovery.

After initial healing is complete, if vision fine-tuning is deemed necessary, Dr. Tendler will utilize laser technology for the final touches. The application of laser technology to refractive cataract surgery (when needed) allows for extra care and attention as well as amplified outcomes.

While cataracts can greatly affect your vision, you do not have to let them affect how you want to live your best life. With the help of refractive cataract surgery at ART Vision in Sioux Falls, SD, your cataracts can be treated and your vision can be restored so you can live a more active life with less dependence upon your glasses. We offer comprehensive diagnostic care and numerous treatment options, as well as an experienced surgeon, Dr. Alison R. Tendler. Schedule your consultation today to learn how we can help you See the World Better and See Yourself Better.

Call us at 605.306.2020 / Schedule an appointment

With the development of our cataract education program, our goal is to provide timely and thorough education and information so you can make the best decision regarding your surgical and vision options.

We want to maximize your time spent in our clinic through our cataract program. The first step in enrolling in our cataract program is to call our office at 605.306.2020. Our care team will then schedule a telehealth visit, enroll you in a patient portal, and schedule your in-office diagnostic testing and evaluation with Dr. Tendler.

Before your telehealth visit, you will have access to fill out any required paperwork prior to your visits and watch a series of videos to help guide you through the process of cataract surgery, as well as explaining options available to optimize your vision.

When it comes to cataract surgery, we know it can be overwhelming, so our team wants you to have all of the resources and information at your fingertips when deciding how cataract surgery can best fit your lifestyle.