Cataract

Cataract is a common cause of visual complaints in persons aged 50 years or older. Cataract surgery is performed at the Institute of Eye Surgery.

How is Cataract detected?
For some people, the symptoms of cataracts develop slowly over time, and so they do not realise they have cataracts. But for others, the signs are much more obvious.

If you feel your eyesight has deteriorated, please review the symptoms of cataracts below to find out if you might have cataracts. Of course, everyone is different, and so you do not need to suffer from all of them, but here are some you should look for:

• Cloudy, misty, or blurred vision
• Faded colours
• Seeing double or multiple images from one eye
• Frequent changing of glasses or contact lenses, due to altering prescription.
• Poor vision at night.
• Problems with glare from bright lights (e.g. glare from oncoming headlights at night)

As mentioned, many people do not initially realise they are suggering from cataracts and in some cases in may only effect a small part of the eye’s natural lens.

However, if left untreated, this will get worse as the cataract gets larger and starts to cloud over more of your lens.

How is Cataract Treated?
The only way of alleviating or ameliorating the symptoms caused by cataract is by surgical removal of the cataract.

Meticulous preparation is essential for best outcomes, and is achieved through a comprehensive pre-operative assessment, which includes optical coherence biometry and corneal topography, so that refractive (spectacle) outcomes can be tailored to the individual patient’s needs.

Cataract surgery is usually quite straightforward and can be performed using a local anaesthetic only. Most people are able to return to work the next day. During surgery your lens is usually replaced with a clear plastic lens, called an intraocular lens (IOL).