A cataract is a clouding of areas of the lens of the eye. Cataracts are a natural part of aging but are also associated with diabetes and trauma to the eye. They can occur in newborns and early childhood. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists has found that by the age of 60, there is a 50% chance you will have had some form of cataract. People with cataracts say that their vision becomes increasingly poor as time goes on. This is because the clouding of the lens causes light passing through the cataract to decrease and scatter. Early symptoms include glare and sensitivity to bright light. Later, as the cataract worsens, haloes may appear around lights. Vision often becomes blurred, hazy and foggy.
One treatment for cataracts is surgery. In cataract surgery, the natural lens in the eye is removed, and an ‘intra-ocular lens’ (IOL) is implanted. Prior to the surgery, the Ophthalmologist calculates the correct type, size and power of IOL to suit your individual eye, based on comprehensive eye measurements. Cataract surgery is the most common surgery performed in Australia and has a very high success rate. All of the Ophthalmologists at NWES perform cataract surgery regularly, preferring the use of the phaco-emulsification technique of surgery.