Wockhardt Hospitals - Mumbai Hospital- Symptoms and Diagnosis- Cataract

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DISEASES AND DISORDERS

CATARACT

Symptoms

When a cataract is small, you may not notice any changes in your vision. Cataracts tend to grow slowly, so vision gets worse gradually. Some people with a cataract find that their close-up vision suddenly improves, but this is temporary. Vision is likely to get worse again as the cataract grows.

The most common symptoms of Cataract are:

Cloudy or blurry vision
Colors appear faded
Problems with light - glare from lamps or a halo around lights
Sensitivity to bright sunlight or headlight glare at night
Poor night vision
Double or multiple vision (this symptom often goes away as the Cataract grows)
Frequent changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses

These symptoms can also be a sign of other eye problems. If you have any of these symptoms, check with our eye care professional.

Diagnosis

In cataract diagnosis, the lens will be first examined followed by a comprehensive eye examination that includes:

Visual Acuity Test
This eye chart test measures vision ability at various distances.

Pupil Dilation
The pupil is widened with eye-drops to allow your eye care professional to see more of the lens and retina and look for other eye problems

Tonometry
This is a standard test to measure fluid pressure inside the eye. Increased pressure may be a sign of glaucoma

A Cataract needs to be removed only when vision loss interferes with your everyday activities, such as driving, reading, or watching TV.

Treatment

Cataract surgery is one of the most common operations performed, it is also one of the safest and most effective method. In about 90 percent of cases, people who have cataract surgery have better vision afterward.

For an early cataract, vision may improve by using different eyeglasses, magnifying lenses, or stronger lighting. If these measures don't help, surgery is the only effective treatment. The cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a substitute lens.

Two types of procedures can be used to remove a cataract :-

Phacoemulsification and
Extracapsular surgery.

Phacoemulsification
Phacoemulsification is the most commonly used procedure. A small incision is made on the side of the cornea and a tiny probe is inserted into the eye. This probe emits an ultrasound wave that softens and breaks up the cataract. The debris is then removed by suction.

Extracapsular surgery
Extracapsular surgery requires a longer incision in the cornea. The hard centre of the lens is removed in one piece and the rest of the lens is suctioned out. The natural lens is then replaced with an intraocular lens - a clear, artificial lens that becomes a permanent part of the eye. The artificial lens does not require additional care and the eye looks and feels normal.

Pediatric Cataract
If the cataract is not very dense and the child is able to see through it, then the surgery may not be required or it may be deferred till the child reaches a age where a cataract surgery with lens implant can be done safely. To cater to this problem, Wockhardt Eye Care has a specialty clinic for Pediatric Opthalmology and Squint. Our pediatric ophthalmologists offer a range of specialized medical and surgical services. The most common conditions are problems such as strabismus (crossed eyes), amblyopia (lazy eye), congenital glaucoma, congenital cataracts and trauma.