|
|
|
Cataract
Cataract
is a cloudiness or opacification of the lens inside the eye. Some of the
light entering the eye is prevented from reaching the light detecting
receptors in the retina. The light that does manage to get through the
lens can be distorted and hazy. A cataract acts in a similar way to a
dirty or smudged camera lens.
Cataracts
interfere with light on its journey to the retina, causing glare,
especially noticed by drivers at night from oncoming traffic. Other
symptoms of cataract are blurriness of either distance vision, near
vision or both, and it can also cause perception of colours to be
altered.
|
The
Lens
|
|
What
Causes Cataract?
Cataract results when the protein of the lens inside the eye changes
causing opacities in the previously transparent lens. Aging, sunlight,
smoking, poor nutrition, systemic disease (e.g. diabetes), certain
medications (e.g. steroids) and trauma to the eye have been linked
to causing cataract.
Exposure to
harmful ultra violet light is a leading cause of cataract. The use of
good UV protective sunglasses is therefore a very practical way to
reduce the risk of cataract development.
|
Diagnosis
Most people
over 60 years will have some degree of change in the lens inside the
eye. Many years ago patients had to wait until the cataract was
"ripe" or fully developed before it was removed. With modern
advances in technology and micro-surgery the timing of treatment is now
determined by the benefit to each individual patient. Small degrees of
cataract can cause significant problems to a younger working person.
Older people, especially living alone or caring for a partner also need
special consideration even with the earliest cataract changes if they
are to function properly. Regular eye examinations are important to
monitor these subtle changes to ensure that a referral for cataract
removal can be made at the most appropriate time.
Treatment
The entire
lens is removed using an ultra-sonic probe, which dissolves the lens and
removes it from the eye. A foldable artificial lens is put in its place
through a small incision. The procedure is usually performed under local
anaesthetic unless there are special circumstances in which a general
anaesthetic is required. The operation itself only takes about 30
minutes and an overnight stay is rarely required. The prescription for
spectacles will be altered by the operation, so four to six weeks after
the surgery, when the eye has settled, you will have to return to your
Optometrist for an eye examination to correct your sight fully.
There are
very few complications with cataract surgery, but it is not without some
risk. The most common complication after cataract surgery is thickening
of the lens capsule, the ‘bag’ in which the lens sits, and can occur
up to 5 years after surgery causing symptoms similar to the cataract
again. This capsular thickening can be treated easily without surgery
using a specialised laser to clear the opacification.
|
|
|
