A cataract is a natural clouding of the lens in the eye and is often compared to a window that is frosted or fogged with steam

Cataracts are generally associated with age and common symptoms include a painless a painless blurring of vision, glare and light sensitivity, frequent spectacle prescription changes, double vision in one eye, needing brighter light to tread by, poor night vision and a general fading or yellowing of colours.

If you think that you may have a cataract you should talk to your GP or optician first. They will then refer you to an Ophthalmologist, preferably at the Allclear Clinic, to confirm it. Cataracts can only be treated with surgery but if your symptoms are mild, a change of glasses may be all you need to give you some improvement.

Cataract surgery is highly successful, with improved vision in 95% of patients. However, there may be other reasons for visual loss, particularly if you have a problem with your retina or optic nerve. If any of these problems are present perfect vision may not return after cataract surgery.

Using a microscope for magnification, the cataract is removed using keyhole surgery and replaced with a permanent lens implant.

This technique is known as phacoemulsification, and the small incision reduces the healing time and speeds up the visual rehabilitation of your eye. Surgery is generally very quick, taking between 8 to 12 minutes and is painless.

Contrary to popular belief, lasers are not used to remove cataracts. Around 20% of people find that there is some clouding of the natural lens capsule that supports the lens implant within a few years of cataract surgery, causing their vision to blur again. It’s when this occurs that a laser is used to open this cloudy capsule to restore clear vision once more.