What you notice
Sight becomes misty or dim. Lights glare, especially at night. Colours look faded or yellow. You may change glasses often and still not see well. A cataract grows slowly and does not hurt.
Why it happens
Most often it comes with age. It can also come with diabetes, an eye injury, long use of some medicines (such as steroids), or be present from birth. It is not caused by overuse of the eyes and does not spread from one person to another.
What treats it
Only surgery removes a cataract. Glasses can help for a while, but they cannot clear the lens. In phaco surgery, a tiny tip breaks the cloudy lens into small pieces and removes them through a very small cut. A clear artificial lens, called an IOL (intraocular lens), is placed in the same spot.
When to operate
There is usually no need to rush. The right time is when the cloudy lens gets in the way of your work, reading, travel or safety. Dr. Kumar will tell you what applies to you.
Honest risks
- Common: mild redness, gritty feeling or a little blur for a few days.
- Common later: the thin bag that holds the lens can turn hazy months or years on. A quick laser visit clears it.
- Rare but serious: infection inside the eye, bleeding, swelling at the retina, or the new lens moving. Dr. Kumar will go through these before surgery.
- Call us at once if: pain grows, sight gets worse, the eye turns more red, or you see a curtain or new flashes.