Cataracts

These are defects in the transparency of the crystalline lens of the eye.   Minor defects are present in everyone, but they generally increase with age and eventually start to interfere with vision.

Patients are often want to know whether they have a cataract or not.  The answer is never clear-cut because the process of opacification is gradual and is therefore subject to opinion.

Age-related cataracts start to develop between the ages of 40 and 70 years, and most patients are picked up by their opticians when in their seventies.  Cataracts presenting earlier often have a relative rapid progression of their symptoms, which typically include glare and difficulty driving at night.  In older patients, the progression of the cataract can be quite slow, but there are no hard and fast rules.  Fortunately, the treatment for cataracts is very good and we are now able to operate on them at a much earlier stage than in the past.  There is no need to wait for them to ripen! Click here to find out more about cataract surgery.