Early diagnosis and treatment of cataracts can help you maintain your vision having a profound effect on your well-being.
Inside the eye is a small lens which helps you see clearly. The lens sits just behind the coloured iris. As you grow older the lens naturally starts to become cloudy, this is called a cataract. The lens will never clear and so will need to be removed to help you see clearly again.
Cataracts can develop gradually so at first your cataract may have little effect on your vision. For others there can be a definable and definite change to vision. Knowing more about the symptoms of cataracts can help you to get an early diagnosis and treatment.
Common cataract symptoms to look out for:
- Cloudy or blurred vision – you may notice difficulty when reading the newspaper or looking to road signs in the distance.
- Problems in bright light – you may find you are more sensitive to light during the day, suffer with glare in bright light (like sun through a dirty windscreen) or glare from lights on a night may be causing difficulty.
- Seeing double – you may see double or multiple images from one eye.
- Poor night vision – you may find it difficult to see when the light starts to fade.
I have some of these symptoms, what next?
If you have experienced any of the symptoms above, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have cataracts. Book an appointment with one of our ophthalmic surgeons here at My Eye Clinic and they can assess your eyes for cataracts and any other problems.
If you have developed a cataract, your surgeon will develop a personalised treatment plan for your specific needs and will be with you every step of the way through the process.
Cataract surgery
If following your consultation you find that you require cataract surgery, your surgeon will talk you through everything that is involved. Cataract operations are performed under local anaesthetic, the eye will be numbed using drops and/ or an injection and you will be awake throughout the surgery. You should not feel any pain or discomfort.
During surgery, the consultant will replace the cloudy natural lens with a synthetic intraocular lens (IOL) which will last a lifetime. For those who are interested in correcting visual errors such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism, we also offer refractive cataract surgery – just ask your surgeon for more information.
Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most commonly performed surgical procedures in the world. It is a relatively painless, simple procedure which is very successful in restoring vision.
All My Eye Clinic ophthalmologists hold consultant NHS posts and all have undergone additional training in their chosen sub-specialty training within ophthalmology to ensure high-quality care. We have specialists in cornea, cataract, glaucoma, eyelid problems, retinal problems and neuro-ophthalmology. At My Eye Clinic you can be assured your eye care is in good hands.
Contact us today to book your consultation on 0191 9178887.
