Cataracts

Developing cataracts can be a scary time in your life. You may be worried about blindness, the surgery involved, and how to make a good recovery. But, cataracts are a very common eye condition that is easily treatable and taken care of.

So there’s no need to worry, as long as you visit your Optician/GP, they will assist you or your family member receive the necessary treatment.

What is a Cataract?

The term cataract is familiar to many, but what exactly is a cataract and how does it affect your vision? A cataract is simply clouding of the tissue in your eye’s lens. This means that when a cataract forms, your vision will become more and more clouded over time, and in turn, if left untreated, could lead to blindness. However, the good news is that it’s common and readily treatable.

Cataracts are particularly common in people over the age of 60, as it is in general, an age-related eye condition. If you or a family member develop a cataract, it’s important to get the necessary eye treatment.

Early Signs of Cataracts

Here are some of the early signs that you may be developing a cataract. If you experience the following symptoms then contact your doctor or us at R Woodfall today, as we can assist you in all your eye care needs.

• Yellowing or fading of colours
• Sensitivity to light
• Clouded or blurred vision
• Difficulty seeing at night
• Seeing halos around light
• Double vision in one eye

The Surgery Process

If you or your family member does develop cataracts, then surgery is highly recommended, but it is ultimately your (or their) choice. Here’s what to expect if you do choose to have cataract removal surgery.

The surgery lasts for about 30 minutes or so and is painless. You will be given local anaesthesia so you won’t feel any pain, and you’ll be able to go home the same day.

The surgery itself involves the surgeon removing your lens and replacing it with an implant. This is a very common procedure and is very likely to highly improve your eyesight.

It takes about 6-12 weeks to recover fully from cataract surgery.

The Risks and Benefits

Even though cataract surgery is very common, there are also some risks that come with it. These risks include: blurred vision, vision loss, detached retina. These risks can be managed with further treatment, and the chances of one of them happening are about 1 in 50.

Some of the benefits of having your cataracts removed are: being able to see things in focus, being able to tell the difference between colours, and being able to see without glares and halos impacting your vision.

If you think you have cataracts or another age-related eye condition, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team.

Tweet