Cataracts
Cataracts Treatment Brisbane
What is a cataract?
Cataracts are the leading cause of reversible blindness in adults worldwide. This common eye disease is characterised by a cloudy area in the lens of the eye and may occur in one or both eyes.
People with cataracts may describe their vision as though they are looking through a fogged-up window. Such cloudy vision can make it difficult to read, drive and complete other everyday activities.
Cataracts most commonly occur in older people, as they are usually the cause of normal changes in the eye with age. However, they can also develop in younger people, and some are even born with a cataract.
Oftentimes, a cataract will develop slowly, meaning that your eyesight may not be disturbed early on. However, with time a cataract will eventually interfere with vision, or your glasses need to be made stronger, at which point you may require treatment with cataract surgery.
What causes a cataract?
As mentioned, cataracts are usually caused by normal changes that occur in the eye as you get older. While the lens of the eye is clear when you are young, age causes them to become thicker, less flexible and less transparent.
Around age 40, tissues within the lens begin to break down and clump together, clouding small areas within the lens. This is a cataract. With time, the cataract will become more severe and cloud more of the lens, eventually leading to vision loss.
You may be at a higher risk of developing a cataract if you have a family history of cataracts, smoke, drink alcohol in excess, take steroids, have had a previous eye injury or have certain health problems, such as diabetes.
What are the symptoms of a cataract?
When a cataract first develops, you may not experience any symptoms. However, as the cataract worsens, you may notice changes in your vision, such as:
- Colours look faded
- Vision is cloudy, blurry or dim
- Difficulty seeing at night
- Seeing a halo around lights
- Sensitivity to light and glare
- Double vision
- Needing brighter lights for reading
If you experience any of these, please talk to your eye doctor.
How is a cataract diagnosed?
Dr Jayne Camuglia can check for cataracts during a routine eye exam. She will give you some eye drops to dilate your pupils before checking your eyes for cataracts and other eye diseases. If she does suspect a cataract, she may also examine your eyes with a slit lamp, which shows the location and pattern of the cataract.
Are cataracts preventable?
There are a number of steps that you can take to protect your eyes and delay cataracts. This may include wearing sunglasses when outdoors, eating a healthy diet, quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. In addition, having regular eye exams can help detect cataracts at their earliest stage, before vision is impacted.
How are cataracts treated?
The only way to remove a cataract is through surgery, however, you may not need it right away. Dr Jayne Camuglia will determine when surgery is necessary and, in the meantime, will help you manage your sight.
If a cataract is caught in its early stages, you may be able to get by with a new glasses prescription and using brighter lights and a magnifying glass at home. However, when vision troubles begin to interfere with daily activities, it may be time to talk to Dr Camuglia about surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cataract surgery involves removing the clouded lens of your eye and replacing it with an artificial lens. This procedure takes around 20-30 minutes to complete.
Before the procedure, your pupil will be dilated using eye drops, and a local anaesthetic will be administered to or around the eye region by your Anaesthetist to numb the area. Dr Camuglia will then make a small cut in the eye and remove the cloudy lens using an ultrasound probe. The cataract will then be replaced with a clear, plastic lens to improve your vision.
Before undergoing cataract surgery, Dr Jayne Camuglia will let you know of any steps you may need to prepare. This could include fasting for 6 hours beforehand, stopping certain medications or taking antibiotic eye drops. You will also need to arrange for someone to drive you to and from the procedure.
To determine which lens implant will be right for you, you will need to undergo an ultrasound test prior to surgery, which will measure the size and shape of your eye. This test will be done in the clinic when you are first assessed by Dr Camuglia. If you suffer from dry eyes, this may need to be repeated after a week or so of intensive eye lubrication to get more accurate results.
Following cataract surgery, you can expect your vision to improve within a few days, although you may experience some blurriness at first as your eye begins to heal and adjust. It is also normal to experience some mild discomfort and itchiness in the days after cataract surgery.
Dr Jayne Camuglia may ask you to wear an eye patch or protective shield for the first few days after surgery. She may also prescribe eye drops or other medication to help prevent infection, control eye pressure and reduce inflammation. Typically, complete healing occurs within four to eight weeks.
No procedure is without risk. Although complications after cataract surgery are uncommon, they may include:
- Swelling
- Bleeding
- Inflammation
- Infection
- Drooping eyelids
- Dislocation of artificial lens
- Development of a secondary cataract
- Retinal detachment
- Glaucoma
- Loss of vision
If you notice anything abnormal following cataract surgery, you should get in touch with Dr Jayne Camuglia via her rooms immediately.
Dr Jayne Camuglia is a General Adult and Paediatric Ophthalmologist with a particular interest in cataract surgery. If you believe that you may have a cataract, please get in touch to see Dr Camuglia today.