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Cataract

Cataract is common in older people. Many people over 65 have them. It can usually be treated with surgery, although not everybody needs to have cataracts removed, provided that their vision is not significantly reduced.

The lens helps you to see things in focus. It focuses light rays onto the retina to form an image, which is then passed to your brain. A cataract is a clouding of the lens. The lens becomes more opaque and blocks light rays onto the retina, blurring the image that we see.

Symptoms                                                                                                                                   

You may get some of the following symptoms:

  • cloudy or filmy vision                                   
  • spots in your vision                                                       
  • glare and halos from lights /  sun                              
  • double vision                                                                 
  • difficulty in distinguishing colours                            
  • improved near vision                                               
  • frequent changes in glasses prescription

 

What causes cataract?                                                                                                            

In the UK, most cataracts develop from the age of 50-60. The reason why is unknown, but it could be caused by a disturbance of the nutrients in the lens. In younger people, factors include diabetes, injury, exposure to UV light, steroids, smoking, heavy drinking or a family history of cataract. 

Treatment                                                                                                                                   

You should consider treatment is if your vision has become noticeably worse and this is interfering with your everyday activities such as driving, watching TV and reading.

Wearing glasses may improve vision during early cataract development, but the cataract will probably get worse over time so the benefits are normally only temporary.

Left untreated, the lens will eventually become so clouded that it is impossible to see any detail at all, although some light will always be distinguishable.

Eventually, surgical removal of cataracts is the only way to improve vision. This involves replacing the cloudy lens with an artificial one. The most common technique is called phacoemulsification. Your Optometrist will be able to explain this to you in more detail. Please contact us if you would like to make an eye examination when your Optician can discuss all aspects of cataract and surgery with you.

Prevention                                                                                                                                 

You can wear sunglasses that block out UVA and UVB rays to help reduce your chances of getting cataracts as a result of damage from UV light in sunlight. However, there is no way to prevent cataracts that develop as a result of getting older.