Cataracts tend to occur
in people over 50 years old and they are more common with advancing age.
A cataract occurs when the natural clear lens of the eye becomes
cloudy. It has the same effect as having a dirty lens in a photographic
camera. Cataracts usually are the result of "natural" age related
changes in the clear lens of the eye. They are slowly progressive and
unless they actually affect the person's vision, there is no need to do
anything about them. A common early manifestation is a change in the
prescription of their glasses.
There is no absolute level of
vision where a cataract 'needs to be done'. In the vast majority of
cases, cataract surgery is a very low risk procedure with the chance of
serious complications being less than 1 in 1000 cases. If the patient
feels that the benefit of improvement of vision with cataract surgery
justifies that small risk, the patient can be assessed for surgery.
Regarding the level of vision for cataract surgery, this is a subjective
mater and it largely depends on the patient. For example, an early
cataract may cause no significant problems to a pensioner who does not
drive but the same type of cataract may cause a lot of vision problems
for a taxi driver, who does a fair bit of night driving.
Modern
cataract surgery is very comfortable and it only takes about 10 minutes
on average. The cataract is removed using ultrasound through a very
small key hole and it is replaced by an artifical lens. No sutures are
required. Modern eye measurement and lens technology allows surgeons to
remove the need for distance glasses following cataract surgery.
Some
lens designs also allow for both distance and near vision without
glasses. Lens choice and suitability depends on many factors and this is
part of a customised assessment for the particular patient. Modern lens
implant technology allows for correction of shortsightedness (myopia),
longsightedness(hyperopia), astigmatism and even presbyopia (so that
patients can be less dependent on glasses for both near and distance
vision). Suitability for presbyopic lens implants depends on the
requirements of the patient and the state of health of other parts of
the eye.
This is an educational video by the European Society of Vitreoretinal Surgeons
