What are the symptoms?

Common symptoms may include the following complaints:

’I'm not seeing as well as I used to’ : Blurred / foggy vision
 
’I sometimes see double’ :  cloudiness in the lens may occur in more than one place.
 
’My vision is poor in bright light’
 
’I’ve noticed a change in colours’ : With the maturity of the caratact the centre becomes more yellow / white.
 

Causes

Cataracts develop from a variety of reasons, including long-term ultraviolet exposure, exposure to radiation, secondary effects of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and advanced age; they are usually a result of denaturation of lens proteins.

Cataract Surgery

When a cataract is sufficiently developed to be removed by surgery, the most effective and common treatment is to make an incision into the capsule of the cloudy lens in order to remove the lens.

Surgery Types

ICCE: intracapsular cataract extraction- involves removing the entire lens of the eye, including the lens capsule. But it is very old technique. Now a days not performed. 

ECCE: extracapsular cataract extraction - consists of removing the lens but leaving the majority of the lens capsule intact.

SICS: manually the lens removed, with out suturing the wound.  

Phaco: Computerized process with the use of High frequency sound waves (phacoemulsification) is used to break up the lens before extraction.

Summary of cataract Surgery:

• Modern small incision cataract surgery is a very successful operation with an excellent outcome in over nine out of ten cases

• The risk of complications is low, and sight-threatening complications are rare

• Most operations are carried out under local anesthetic as a day-case procedure

• You can return to your normal daily activities straight away; there are no restrictions

• The eye will feel gritty and uncomfortable for a few days but should not be painful

• Visual recovery takes place for most people over the first week or two

• You will be using eye drops for about a month

• You will need to replace your glasses with a new prescription once the drops are finished.