Cataract
Cataract is Greek for waterfall and it is when the lens in the eye becomes cloudy or opaque. The lens helps to focus the light onto the retina at the back of the eye and if it is obscured this will affect your vision as the light is scattered. Cataracts become much more common as we get older.
An field being taken and a plot showing a glaucomatous defect
Common symptoms of cataracts include reduced vision even with glasses, difficulty seeing in bright light or at night when there is glare from headlights, difficulty reading text that has a poor contrast – e.g. newspapers and difficulty reading without a good reading light.
When you attend for an eye exam your lens will be examined for cataract. If the cataract is affecting your quality of life then we will refer you to an ophthalmologist to have it removed. Cataract surgery is very common and has a low risk. The ophthalmologist removes the lens in minor day surgery and replaces it with an artificial lens. This lens might even correct your prescription so that you do not need glasses for distance any more.