Medical Questions & Answers

Question: My GP said that I have a cataract and It will need an operation. Is this the best treatment for a cataract?
Behind the pupil in your eye is the lens. This is transparent and able to change its shape with the aid of tiny muscles attached to its edge. The change in shape enables it to focus on objects near and far.
A cataract is the clouding over of this lens. Once the vision has deteriorated sufficiently to cause significant sight impairment in both eyes, the worst eye will be operated upon, because this is the only way of treating a cataract. There are no medications or drops that will help. The operation is technically difficult, but can be completed in half an hour and is often done under local anesthetic. The cloudy lens is removed, and a new clear plastic lens is inserted. This new lens is not mobile, and cannot change shape, thus spectacles are normally required for close work, and sometimes distant vision as well.

Question: What is the best time to have a cataract operation? When it is only slightly annoying, or should I wait until later?
A cataract is the slow clouding of the lens in the eye, until it becomes like frosted glass, and impossible to see through.
There is no urgency about having a cataract operation until your sight has deteriorated to the point where glasses are unable to compensate for the clouding of the lens. Usually one eye deteriorates faster than the other, and when reading, driving or other skills become difficult, the worst eye will be operated upon. Only very rarely are both eyes done at once.
Once the bad eye has recovered, the other eye will be treated, and most patients find a dramatic improvement in their sight. One of the most common comments by patients after a cataract operation is that they find colors far brighter and more vibrant. The slow progression of the cataract over many years has had the same effect as slowly turning down the color control on a television to give a very washed-out effect.

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