Almost 1.5 million Australians over the age of 55 (or close to one-third of the population) have untreated cataracts. One of the most common illnesses among Australians, 229,693 hospital admissions for cataract procedures occurred in 2013–14.
Cataracts continue to be one of the main causes of visual impairment globally; they are to blame for 20 million cases of blindness.The Latin word cataracta, which meaning waterfall, is the origin of the word cataract. It is a clouding of the eye’s crystalline lens, which is typically transparent.
Along with the cornea, the lens focuses light onto the retina, where it is transformed into electrical signals and sent to the brain. The visuals we see are a result of this.Cataracts frequently result in blurred vision, glare from bright lights, particularly headlights of approaching vehicles, haloes around lights, a loss of color saturation, and worse night vision. Those who are affected may discover they no longer require reading glasses since a cataract paradoxically increases the lens’s focusing power.
Considering how slowly and painlessly cataracts grow, it may take years for a diagnosis to be made. But if ignored, they can eventually seriously impair the affected eye’s vision. Cataracts frequently affect both eyes, although they can also affect just one eye or advance at a different rate in each eye.
No medications exist to treat a cataract or slow its progression. Stronger spectacles may be all that is needed to manage early cataracts. However, surgery may eventually be required as a cataract progresses and causes troublesome vision impairment.
Cataract surgery has been practised for thousands of years and has involved the same principle: removal of the cloudy lens. The Romans used to do this by inserting a sharp needle into the eye and rotating it.
The most common type of cataract surgery performed in Australia is called phacoemulsification. from shutterstock.com
The most common type of cataract surgery performed in Australia is called phacoemulsification. Typically, an uncomplicated surgery lasts just under ten minutes and is done as a day procedure.
Local anaesthetic is used to numb the eye and a small incision is made through the front of the eye; a hand-held ultrasound probe then breaks apart the cloudy lens contents. This material is suctioned out of the eye and a plastic lens is inserted in its place.
