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Cataracts are a very common condition that affects nearly everyone as they age. They can occur in one or both eyes. While there are some rare occasions that can see someone suffering from a cataract earlier in their life (such as genetics, illness, or eye trauma), most people don’t have an issue until later in life. Because this is such a common—and sight-threatening—condition, it’s important to be regularly screened for cataracts from age 40 onwards.
Cataracts are caused when the proteins within the eye gradually clump together and settle on the lens. When light enters the eye, it needs to travel unobstructed through the lens to the back of the eye. These clumping proteins obstruct the smooth passage of light. As this obstruction increases, it causes the vision to deteriorate over time.
It’s important to know that this is a very slow process that typically happens over many years. Left unchecked, cataracts will eventually cause significant impairment to vision, including total loss of sight. According to the World Health Organization, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness, both in the USA and across the globe.
Thankfully, there are advanced cataract treatments that can remove the diseased lens and replace it with an artificial one, therefore restoring vision. Millions of these procedures are carried out each year with an extremely high success rate.
The later stages of cataracts will cause significant issues with vision. In addition, it becomes visibly noticeable, appearing as a milky white spot on the lens, meaning it can also be seen by other people looking at you. If the whole lens becomes clouded over then it will cause major problems with reading, watching TV, and driving.
The key to successful cataract treatment is early diagnosis and then treatment at the correct time. The best time to undergo cataract surgery is before the disease becomes too advanced. Once a cataract is affecting your daily life, this is usually the correct time for the procedure to be carried out. During the early stages, the condition is often managed with prescription lenses and polarized sunglasses. This allows breathing time for you to come to terms with undergoing a surgical procedure and discussing your choices with your cataract surgeon. It’s important to understand that if you allow a cataract to progress unchecked then, once it reaches the late—or advanced—stage, it becomes more difficult to treat. Therefore, the condition is most commonly dealt with before this happens. Happily, cataract surgery is highly successful, quick, and carried out on thousands of people per day. The procedure involves numbing the eye and making a tiny incision, breaking down the lens of the eye, suctioning it out, and replacing it with an artificial lens.
This is known as an Intraocular lens, or IOL. The procedure is painless and generally carried out on an outpatient basis. This means you return home the same day. In fact, the whole process usually takes less than an hour. Full recovery is usually fast, taking just a few weeks. Improvement in vision can be quite dramatic. Depending on the type of IOL you choose and the quality of your vision, you may even be able to live a life free from eyeglasses after a cataract operation.
