CATARACT
CLOUDY VISION DUE TO AGEING EYES
What is a cataract, and how can fixing it be an opportunity?
A cataract is an opacity that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye. Early on in the development of age-related cataract the power of the crystalline lens may be increased, causing Short-sightedness (myopia), and the gradual yellowing and opacification of the lens may reduce the perception of blue colours. Cataracts typically progress slowly to cause vision loss and are potentially blinding if untreated.
Symptoms of cataracts
The lens in the eye can become cloudy and hard, a condition known as a cataract. Cataracts may cause blurred vision, dulled vision, sensitivity to light and glare, and/or ghost images.
Cataracts can cause sleep disturbance. Cataract reduces the amount of blue light entering your eye. The blue light is needed to stimulate special receptors in your eye which help to set your body clock which controls your waking/sleeping cycle.
Symptoms of cataract include
- Vision loss
- Short-sightedness (myopia)
- A reduction of the perception of blue colours
How would you know if you have a cataract?
You might have a cataract and not even know it. It’s a gradual process; however, you may find that the quality of your vision will start to decline. You will usually notice this at night.
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How does cataract surgery work?
James Ball discusses the mechanics behind cataract surgery and how it can restore your vision.
The lens of the eye can become cloudy and hard, a condition known as a cataract. Cataracts can develop from normal ageing, from an eye injury, or if you have taken medications known as steroids.
Cataracts may cause blurred vision, dulled vision, sensitivity to light and glare, and ghost images. If the cataract changes vision so much that it interferes with your daily life, the cataract may need to be removed.
Cataract surgery is the only way to remove a cataract.
You can decide not to have the cataract removed. If you don’t have the surgery, your vision loss from the cataract will continue to get worse.
Treatment of cataracts
At the Custom Vision Clinic, we see cataract surgery as an opportunity to create significant and long-lasting benefits for you. By using the latest technologies, many of our patients see better than they did, even before they developed the cataract.
If the cataract changes vision so much that it interferes with your daily life, the cataract may need to be removed. Cataract surgery is the only way to remove a cataract. You can decide not to have the cataract removed. If you don’t have the surgery, your vision loss from the cataract will continue to get worse.
The goal of cataract surgery is to correct the decreased vision that was caused by the cataract. During the cataract surgery, we remove the cataract with high-frequency ultrasound through a small incision and put in a new artificial lens called an intraocular lens or IOL.
Cataract surgery will not correct other causes of decreased vision, such as glaucoma, diabetes, or age-related macular degeneration. Many people still need to wear glasses or contact lenses after cataract surgery for either near and/or distance vision and astigmatism.
Frequently asked questions about cataracts
Modern cataract surgery is so advanced that it is possible to remove the lens through a tiny incision and replace it with a plastic lens, which is folded through the tiny incision and unfolded inside the eye.
The latest generation of plastic intraocular lenses can provide clear vision for distance and for near. The results have become so good that patients find not only an improvement in their quality of vision but also significantly increased independence from spectacles.
Results at a glance
My eyesight following the operation is brilliant and better than I thought possible, and this is all down to your excellent surgeon Mr James Ball and not to forget all the very dedicated people around him who make these operations possible.
Two of the best decisions I ever made in my life were firstly to have lens exchange and secondly to have Mr James Ball carry out my operation.
Within minutes I could tell there was a difference. But now, only a couple of months later, my sight is better than it was seven years ago! I can even read the really tiny print on the car sales ads! If you want that confidence you probably felt when you were younger, this is the ideal solution. Thanks to the treatment, I feel rejuvenated, independent and much younger!
Many thanks for all your care and kindness. To me it appears a miracle that I can see so well. I feel very grateful. It is impossible to fully express my thanks.
May I offer grateful thanks for your expertise in operating on my eyes. It was intimated to me that you were the best, and from the results I am now enjoying, I am convinced that this is correct.
You are truly innovative. Thank you very much for curing the problems I have been having with my reading and near vision.
My work was becoming almost impossible. I had refractive lens exchange to both eyes with multifocal lens implants last July. I can now see better than 20/20 for distance and can read the tiniest print in newspapers - all without glasses! I have started reading for pleasure again, and I feel that my performance both at work and on the golf course has improved.
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My eyesight following the operation is brilliant and better than I thought possible, and this is all down to your excellent surgeon Mr James Ball and not to forget all the very dedicated people around him who make these operations possible.
Two of the best decisions I ever made in my life were firstly to have lens exchange and secondly to have Mr James Ball carry out my operation.
Within minutes I could tell there was a difference. But now, only a couple of months later, my sight is better than it was seven years ago! I can even read the really tiny print on the car sales ads! If you want that confidence you probably felt when you were younger, this is the ideal solution. Thanks to the treatment, I feel rejuvenated, independent and much younger!
My work was becoming almost impossible. I had refractive lens exchange to both eyes with multifocal lens implants last July. I can now see better than 20/20 for distance and can read the tiniest print in newspapers – all without glasses! I have started reading for pleasure again, and I feel that my performance both at work and on the golf course has improved.
Laser eye surgery has changed my life. Now, having had laser, I wake up in the morning and I can see and it’s unbelievable.
Laser eye surgery has greatly improved my quality of life. I’ve been able to discard my glasses after thirty years!
If you are thinking of having Laser Eye Surgery, try these guys – they really are the best in their field.
I felt I was treated as an individual and all my questions were answered. From my experiences – I can highly recommend Mr Ball.
Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful! I am so grateful to you and your team. Thank you very much indeed.
Thank you for your skilled interventions which have given me my sight back.
To me it appears a miracle that I can see so well. I feel very grateful. It is impossible to fully express my thanks.
Thank you very much for the treatment you gave me – I can see so well now, and reading has once again become a real pleasure.
It was intimated to me that you were the best, and from the results I am now enjoying, I am convinced that this is correct.
You are truly innovative. Thank you very much for curing the problems I have been having with my reading and near vision.
I had LASIK on both eyes at Custom Vision Clinics, and can now see better than 20/20, without my glasses or contact lenses. More importantly, I now feel that I can get more out of my busy life.
At the consultation, Mr Ball found that I had early cataracts. Following cataract surgery at Custom Vision Clinics, I am almost completely independent from glasses.
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Further information about cataracts
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GIVE US A CALL ON: 03456430466
OR REQUEST A CALL BACK
About the author
Mr James Ball | Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
MA (Cantab) MB BChir FRCOphth CertLRS
I am a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Custom Vision Clinic, St James’s University Hospital, and Nuffield Hospital. My major interest is in refractive surgery and finding the best treatment suitable for each patient.