What is a cataract?
Cataracts affect the crystalline lens inside the eye, the structure responsible for helping us to focus light onto the retina. Cataract describes any clouding or opacification of the lens, eventually resulting in hazy, blurred vision.
Causes:
The most common type of cataract we see is a senile, or age-related cataract. It’s important to know that this is a normal ageing change, rather than a sign of disease, and is seen commonly in people over 60yrs. This type of cataract is usually slow to develop, and initially may have little to no effect on your vision.
Other types and causes of cataracts include:
· Congenital – these are cataracts that are present at birth
· Traumatic – these cataracts can develop after injury to the eye, namely blunt force trauma or penetrating injuries
· Secondary to certain diseases or medical treatments – e.g. Diabetes, radiation therapy, prolonged corticosteroid use, have all been linked to cataracts
· Smoking increases your risk of developing cataracts, as well as other ocular diseases
· Excessive UV exposure is a risk factor for cataracts – harmful UV rays are absorbed by the lens resulting in the formation of damaging chemicals called free radicals
Symptoms:
Common symptoms include:
· Blurry, hazy, cloudy, foggy, filmy vision
· Needing brighter light for near tasks, such as reading
· Having more difficulty with night vision
· Experiencing halos around lights
· Double vision or ghosting with just one eye open (monocular diplopia)
· Increased sensitivity to glare
· Frequent changes in your prescription
Cataracts are not painful, and do not make your eyes red or irritated. They are usually not visible to the naked eye unless severe, in which case the pupil may appear white.
If you have any of the above symptoms, it is important to have your eyes examined, as some of these symptoms could also be due to other, more serious eye conditions.
Diagnosis:
At Eyes of Howick when you book for an eye test we perform a comprehensive eye examination, and this includes assessing you for cataracts.
· We use a slitlamp microscope to get a magnified view of your lens, allowing us to check for any signs of yellowing, clouding, and opacification. Sometimes we may need to use drops to temporarily enlarge the pupil (a dilation) in order to obtain a better view of your lens, but we will explain this all to you if it is needed, and get your consent prior to performing this additional check.
· We will also check your prescription, and measure what your best level of corrected vision is. This can give us an indication as to how much of the blur you are experiencing can be corrected by a change in glasses, and then how much, if any, residual blur is left from the cataract.
It is impossible for us to predict how quickly a person’s cataract(s) will develop so monitoring your eye health regularly is the best way for us to track how quickly your cataracts are developing and therefore offer tailored advice to you.
Management:
If your cataracts are mild, your symptoms may be improved with stronger glasses and using brighter lights for reading. Once your cataracts progress to a stage where glasses are no longer helping, and it is impacting upon your quality of life and your ability to perform your regular daily activities, then we can discuss referral to an ophthalmologist for surgery.
However, if your symptoms are not bothering you, or you are unable or uninterested in surgery, it is safe to leave a cataract in the eye. If you opt not to proceed with surgery, then we will do our best to help manage your symptoms. We will discuss your options with you and tailor a management plan to suit your needs, so that you can rest assured that you and your eyes are well cared for.
Prevention?
Cataracts are a normal ageing change, and thus cannot be prevented from developing. In saying this, there are things we can do to delay onset or slow progression, so that the chance of needing surgical intervention is lowered.
· Wear UV protection – book an exam today and talk with us about the many UV protection options available to you
· Consume a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants
· Manage other health problems, e.g. diabetes
· Quit smoking
· Attend regular eye exams – at least every 2yrs after 40yo and annually after 65yo.
In NZ, cataracts are a leading cause of vision loss in older adults. Thankfully this is usually a gradual change, and regular eye examinations with an optometrist can help with early diagnosis and monitoring, so that when further intervention is needed it can be