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What is a Cataract?

15th July 2009

I have to tell a lot of people they have cataract and I usually get asked quite a few questions about them, so I thought I’d give a little information about what they actually are. Starting with the basic definition. A cataract is a natural clouding of the lens within the eye.

What is the lens?
Well firstly the lens (or crystalline lens as it is actually called) is with in the eye, it sits behind the iris (the coloured bit of the eye). You can’t actually see the lens but if you have a quick stare into someones eyes you will see the iris and in the centre of that a what looks like a black hole, this is the pupil. The lens sits just behind this.

Will I be able to see a cataract?
Normally you can’t see a cataract with the naked eye except when it gets really dense and turns white, usually these days it is operated on miles before it gets to this point. A lot of people still think a cataract is a skin that grows over the eye, this is not the case, as you now know (if you didn’t already) the lens that a cataract affects is within the eye.

How will a cataract affect me?
A cataract can affect your vision in several ways, It is very common to have slightly blurry or misty vision, very similar to when you feel your glasses need changing. Cataracts can also cause more glare or dazzle, people often complain that sun affects them more or that car headlights at night seem more dazzling than they used to. Cataracts can also affect your colour vision by making things look slightly faded or washed out. This is probably the most common comment I get when people have had their cataracts removed “I hadn’t realized how dull everything had become”.

Why have I got a cataract, is it something I’ve done?
You can get a cataract at any age, some people are born with them – these are called congenital cataracts, most however come on as part of the natural aging process. There are some things that can mean they come on a little earlier, some medication and health conditions, such as Diabetes can increase the likelihood of getting a cataract. Although we are not entirely sure how they come about there is a link to smoking, poor diet and excessive amounts of sunlight exposure.

I’ve got a cataract, what do I do?
If you’ve been told you’ve got a cataract there are several options and it all depends on how far developed it is. Hopefully your Optician has given you advice on how far along your cataract is along and what options are open to you. Generally either they will decided that your vision is OK either with your current glasses or with new glasses (a cataract can cause a change in what strength glasses you need), they may monitor you a little more regularly to check that the cataract is not changing. When the cataract is affecting your daily life e.g. having difficulties reading, not meeting driving standards, etc. your Optician will refer you for treatment.

What’s the treatment?
There is only one way to remove a cataract and that is with surgery, they remove the cloudy lens and put in a plastic replacement. You can’t remove a cataract with laser. The surgery has a pretty high success rate, it is normally performed as day surgery under local anesthetic.

I’ll leave it there for the time being, they are the most common questions I get asked, I’ll try and write a bit more about cataracts and their treatment in the near future.