Cataracts

About Cataracts

For anyone troubled by cataract symptoms

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, usually caused by aging. The lens is normally transparent, focusing light onto the retina, but as it clouds, light scatters and vision changes in various ways. While aging is the most common cause, injury, diabetes, steroid medications, and UV exposure can also cause cataracts at a younger age.

Symptoms

• Blurry or hazy vision: the whole scene may look foggy, or distant text or faces may appear blurred.
• Increased glare: light scattering from the clouded lens causes unusual glare outdoors or under lighting.
• Difficulty seeing at night: oncoming headlights may seem unusually bright, and halos or glare rings can appear around lights or the moon.
• New glasses don't help: if adjusting your prescription doesn't improve things, the clouding of the lens itself may be the cause.
• Changes in color perception: colors may appear faded overall, particularly harder to distinguish blues, or take on a yellowish tint.
• Double vision in one eye: can occur when the clouding is uneven.

Because these symptoms progress slowly over years, they're often dismissed as "just aging." In rare cases, however, the lens can swell rapidly and cause a sudden spike in eye pressure ("intumescent cataract"), which needs urgent treatment. If discomfort persists or your vision changes suddenly, please get examined promptly.

Treatment

When surgery may be needed: Cataracts themselves are not an urgent condition, and when vision problems are still mild, adjusting your glasses prescription or simply monitoring can be a reasonable option. Surgery becomes worth considering once daily life is affected — for example, feeling unsafe driving, or difficulty with work or reading.

• Standard surgery (phacoemulsification)A small 2–3mm incision is made at the edge of the cornea, and the clouded lens is broken up with ultrasound and removed. This is the current mainstream cataract surgery.
• Intraocular lens (IOL) implantationAfter the natural lens is removed, an artificial lens is implanted to focus light. Depending on the distance you use most in daily life, glasses may still be needed afterward for certain distances. We explain the characteristics of different lenses based on your lifestyle.
• Same-day surgeryWe generally perform same-day surgery. Duration and pain experienced vary between individuals. Suitability is determined after examination.

About the risks: Cataract surgery is widely performed, but complications and post-operative recovery vary between individuals, and risk is never zero. Posterior capsule opacification (clouding of the membrane supporting the lens, occurring some time after surgery) can occur and is usually treated with an outpatient YAG laser procedure, with effects varying by individual. Rarely, complications such as infection or retinal detachment can occur; pre-operative testing and post-operative monitoring are important for catching these early.

Ongoing Care

• Continue using prescribed anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops exactly as directed, for the full duration. Stopping early on your own judgment can prolong inflammation.
• For the period specified by your doctor after surgery, avoid rubbing your eyes hard, lifting heavy objects, and getting water in your eyes while washing your face, hair or bathing, to prevent infection.
• Even after recovery has settled, regular eye check-ups help catch other issues, such as posterior capsule opacification, early.
• Not only for the operated eye but for your other eye as well, keep up healthy daily habits such as a balanced diet.

A Note From the Director

Related Pages

• Posterior Capsule Opacification
• Glasses Exams & Fitting
• Why We Ask You to Have Certain Tests

Please note: The effects of the treatments described on this page vary between individuals, and no particular outcome is guaranteed. The severity and course of your condition will be explained by your doctor after examination.