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Cataract
What is Cataract?
Inside our eyes, we have a natural lens. The lens bends (refracts) light rays that come into the eye to help us see. The lens should be clear. But if you have a cataract, your lens has become cloudy. It is like looking through a foggy or dusty car windshield. Things look blurry, hazy or less colourful with a cataract.
Cataract Symptoms
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Blurry vision
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Seeing a double or a ghosted image
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Light sensitivity, especially with oncoming headlights at night
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Diffuculty seeing well at night or needing more light when reading
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Seeing bright colours as faded or yellow
Lens
cornea
Retina
Optic nerve
Normal eye - clear lens
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Eye with a cataract
What causes cataracts
Aging is the most common cause of cataracts. This is due to normal eye changes that begin after age 40. Normal proteins in the lens start to break down, causing the lens to get cloudy. People over age 60 usually start to have some clouding in their lenses. However, vision problems may not occur until years later.
Other cataract causes:
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Medical problems, such as diabetes
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Eye injury
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Previous eye surgery
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Radiation treatments to the upper body
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Excessive exposure to sunlight, particularly without protective sunglasses
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Some medications, such as corticosteroids, may cause early formation of cataracts
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Smoking
How are cataracts treated
When dealing with early cataracts, some people can improve their vision by adjusting their spectacles prescription, enhancing lighting in their surroundings, and using a magnifying lens for reading. Wearing sunglasses can also reduce glare.
If these methods become ineffective and your vision continues to hinder your daily activities, cataract surgery may be an option. Cataracts can only be removed through surgery.
Cataract surgery
During cataract surgery, the cloudy natural lens in your eye is removed through small keyhole incisions and replaced with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL). Various types of IOLs are available to accommodate different lifestyles. Your surgeon can assist you in selecting the most suitable IOL to meet your specific visual needs.
Eye after cataract surgery
What to expect after the surgery?
After the surgery, a plastic shield will be taped over the eye to protect it. Eye drops containing antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication should be used for a few weeks, starting the day after the surgery.
Your vision may start to improve as soon as the day after the surgery, but for some people, vision may initially be cloudy or blurry and then improve within a few days. You may experience itchiness, mild discomfort, and increased sensitivity to light. The eye may also appear red or bloodshot, but these symptoms typically resolve within a few days. Wearing sunglasses may help with sensitivity to light.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, please get in touch with the eye clinic promptly: vision loss, intense eye pain, light flashes, or new floaters.
For the first week after the surgery, avoid eye rubbing and lifting activities and keep your eyes closed while showering. Also, avoid swimming, hot tubs, and dusty environments for a month to reduce the chance of infection.
Posterior capsule opacification (Secondary cataract)
People who have undergone cataract surgery may experience a recurrence of hazy vision years later. This can be due to cloudiness in the lens capsule, a part of the native lens that holds the IOL in place. Your ophthalmologist can perform a laser treatment to open the cloudy capsule (capsulotomy) and restore clear vision.
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