Cataracts

What causes Cataracts? 

Getting wiser/aging: Cataracts are most commonly associated with aging and everyone who becomes wise enough eventually develops cataracts. 

There are other less common causes such as trauma, medical conditions or genetics. 

What are symptoms of cataracts? Do I have them? 

• Blurred or hazy vision

• Difficulty seeing in low light

• Sensitivity to glare, especially when driving at night

• Fading or yellowing of colors

If you are concerned about cataracts, make an appointment to see an optometrist in your local area, or you could always get a referral to see me. We examine the eye with specialised equipment and will tell you if you have cataracts. 

How are cataracts treated? 

If your cataract is severe enough and/or affecting your vision, I would recommend cataract surgery. This is a surgical procedure to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a new, clear artificial lens (made of materials such as acrylic). 

What type of lens implants are there? What is the best implant? How do I choose the best intraocular lens?  

Click here to download a summary PDF of lens choices 

There is NO best or ultimate lens out there yet. The lenses, no matter how good they are, each have particular drawbacks – nothing can yet replicate the amazing natural lens in your twenties. 

Because there are so many different brands and types of lenses, choosing the right lens can be a little bit overwhelming. I’ll try to summarise the main points below. 

"There's just too much information to read doctor, just tell me what lens you would recommend." Please click here to skip straight to the most common recommendations. 

First, the “brands” or companies that are used in Australia are all reputable, well-established companies that have been making lenses for years. In terms of “quality”, they are all good and pretty similar i.e. it does not make much of a difference. 

More importantly, you as the patient, together with your surgeon will need to decide what type of lens would best suit you and your lifestyle. This is key, because different lenses provide different types of vision. 

Currently, there are 5 options to choose from

• Monofocal for distance vision – by default, this is the most common choice, the most tried and trusted method since the advent of cataract surgery. Any patient would be suitable for this. The lens provides excellent distance vision in both eyes, and is also suitable for patients with other eye conditions such as diabetes or macular degeneration. The trade-off for this lens however, is that objects within 1 meter or less will be not in sharp focus. This will require reading glasses. 

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• Monofocal for near vision – the aim of this choice is to provide clear near vision without the need for glasses. This is most suitable for patients who don’t drive and spend most of their time engaged in near activities such as reading, knitting or cooking. Glasses however, will be required for distance. ​

• ​Mini-mono –  This option is where one eye is set for good distance vision whilst the oder set for good intermediate vision. Good candidates for mini-monovision typically have:  no history of eye problems, willingness to adapt to a new vision system.

• Multifocal lens – these are newer lenses that provide reasonably good distance vision, midrange AND near vision with a slight compromise: less brightness, troublesome glare or halos around lights, and decreased sharpness of vision or contrast, especially at night or in dim light. These side effects can cause difficulty with driving at night.

• Extended depth of focus (EDOF) – these are the latest lenses which provide good distance vision and good intermediate vision (for example the dashboard on your car). They have much less/or no side effects of haloes and glare that come with the multifocal lenses.