Cataracts
Cataracts are a very common eye condition that affects most people at some point in their lives.
A cataract occurs when the natural lens inside the eye gradually becomes misty with age. Cataracts are usually progressive and naturally get worse over time. Eyesight will deteriorate as the cataract progresses.
Causes and Risk Factors
Even though age is the most accepted risk factor for cataracts, some children are unfortunate enough to be born with cataracts, known as congenital cataracts. Some people also develop cataracts more quickly due to an injury or medical conditions such as diabetes, or as a side effect of certain medications such as long-term steroid use.
It is not entirely clear why we are more likely to develop cataracts as we get older, but several factors may increase your risk, including:
- Family history of cataracts
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Eye injury
- Long-term steroid use
- Excessive alcohol consumption
Early Symptoms
Initially, you may notice subtle changes in your vision, such as difficulty with reading or seeing captions on television. You may also experience increased glare on bright days or when driving at night.
It is not uncommon to be told you have “early cataracts” or “lens opacities” for many years before you notice any effect from them.
When your cataract starts to develop, you may feel your sight is changing or not as good as it once was. Some people describe it as looking through dirty spectacles lenses. You may also notice that colours appear less bright and that glare, especially at night, becomes more pronounced.
Cataracts are mainly age-related; however, they can also affect babies and young children.
Treatment: Cataract Surgery
Surgery is the only way to treat cataracts. Cataract surgery involves replacing the cloudy lens inside your eye with an artificial clear lens.
Cataract surgery is the most common operation performed in the UK and has a very high success rate in improving eyesight. It can take 4–6 weeks to fully recover from cataract surgery. The procedure is fairly straightforward and usually takes about 30 minutes. It is often carried out as day surgery under local anaesthetic, and you should be able to go home on the same day.
After cataract surgery, you should be able to see things in focus again, experience minimal glare, and have better colour vision.
The risk of serious complications developing as a result of cataract surgery is very low. There is a small risk, about 1 in 1,000, of permanent sight loss in the treated eye as a direct result of the operation.
Types of AMD
- Early or Dry AMD – Develops when waste material builds up under the macula and the retina thins. Most patients have near normal vision or milder sight loss.
- Late AMD – Vision-threatening forms that can develop from early AMD.
- Wet AMD – Abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina, leak blood and fluid, and can cause scarring and permanent central vision loss.
- Geographic Atrophy – Severe thinning or loss of macula tissue without leaking blood vessels, leading to central vision loss.