October 2021 - Armadale Eye Clinic

It may come as a surprise to you, but cataract signs and symptoms can sometimes be difficult to pick. Many people think cataract symptoms revolve around blurred vision, however, there can be more subtle indications that cataract surgery may be needed within the next several years. Keep reading to learn about the common cataract signs and symptoms.

Cataract Signs and Symptoms

The specific cataract symptoms an individual experiences can differ from one to another. Symptoms can be influenced by factors such as the location and type of your cataract, how advanced it is, and even the ways in which you use your vision for day-to-day tasks.

Cataract surgery is the only definitive way of treating a cataract and relieving your cataract symptoms. However, if you’re not yet feeling ready to undergo cataract surgery, there are other strategies you can use to maximise your vision in the meantime. These include having your glasses or contact lens prescription updated, optimising the lighting in your house and workplace, or using a magnifying glass.

Although blurred sight is the most commonly known of the cataract symptoms, some people with cataracts in fact never identify their vision as being blurry. Instead, they may feel their sight is not blurred but instead foggy, filmy, or cloudy. A popular analogy of vision with a cataract is like trying to look through a dirty window.

Here are some other typical signs that cataract surgery might be on the horizon.

Your prescription keeps changing

Although frequent shifts to your glasses or contact lens prescription may be a sign of other eye conditions, cataracts are often associated with a rapidly changing script. Depending on the type of cataract, you may find your prescription either shifting to increased long-sightedness (hyperopia) or short-sightedness (myopia). Interestingly, on occasion, this prescription change can work in your favour. For example, increasing short-sightedness can improve your near vision, meaning you depend less on your reading glasses. However, the expenses involved in continually updating your changing script in your glasses can mean some people opt for cataract surgery sooner rather than later.

Decreasing contrast sensitivity

As the cataract blocks some of the light trying to enter the eye, some people find the first sign of a cataract to be that they now need much brighter lighting in order to read.

This may mean bringing out your phone torch to read the menu at a restaurant or taking your newspaper to the window for some bright natural lighting.

Increasing glare sensitivity

The opacity of a cataract can cause a scattering of light, which we perceive as glare. Low levels of glare may be uncomfortable while more intense glare can be debilitating. You may find the computer screen uncomfortable to view until you reduce the brightness, or oncoming car headlights while driving at night suddenly make you feel unsafe. If your vocation puts you in a situation where the glare caused by your cataracts are an issue, such as being a taxi driver on the night shift, you may choose to have cataract surgery even if your daytime vision is unproblematic.

Altered colour vision

This may be the most difficult to identify of all the cataract signs and symptoms as the effects are very subtle. A particular type of age-related cataract known as nuclear sclerosis develops as a brownish-yellowish tinge in the centre of the lens of the eye. Because of this colouration, certain wavelengths of light passing through the lens are filtered out, resulting in an alteration to your colour perception. For most people, this is not noticeable until you have cataract surgery and realise how much colour you’ve been missing out on! However, some occupations and hobbies, including painting, interior designing, or even quality control for fresh produce, may rely on accurate colour vision and so may need to consider a cataract operation sooner.

It’s important to remember that discharge, pain, and a red eye are never associated with a cataract, even if other cataract-like symptoms of blurred vision or glare sensitivity are present.

Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are a benign growth and often it’s very safe to postpone cataract surgery until you feel ready. The main consideration will be whether you feel comfortable completing your daily tasks with the vision that you have. Some people may have a very low tolerance to changes to their sight and so will want to pursue cataract surgery sooner rather than later, while others are not bothered by their vision until their cataract is much more advanced. Still, others prefer to just get cataracts out of the way, while others prefer to wait until their schedule clears up.

The decision about the timing of surgery can be made in consultation with your optometrist or ophthalmologist; however, the choice is ultimately up to you. Be aware that in Australia, public cataract surgery waiting lists can sometimes be in excess of 12 months. If you are going via the private system, you may be seen within a couple of months for your operation, but may be significantly out of pocket, depending on your level of private health insurance. Whatever you decide about the timing of your cataract operation, be sure to keep in contact with your eye care professional to ensure your overall eye health remains on track.

Call us now on (03) 9070 5753 for a consultation.

Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

Managing cataracts and performing cataract surgery are exceedingly common for eye care practitioners. Optometrists are often the first to diagnose a cataract during routine eye examinations and are well equipped to monitor their progress. Once you’re ready for cataract surgery, you’ll then be referred to a cataract surgeon. After your operation, your surgeon will give you a list of post operative instructions on what to do after cataract surgery to optimise your recovery. While you may be given slightly different instructions depending on your particular situation, here are the general guidelines.

What to do After Cataract Surgery?

As with any medical operation, cataract surgery carries a small risk of a complication or adverse event. These incidents may happen during the recovery period, even if your cataract surgery itself was smooth and uneventful. To reduce your risk of a complication in the aftercare period, it’s important to follow good eye care and hygiene practices. If at any point you’re unclear about what’s to do after cataract surgery and what’s not okay, talk to your eye care clinician.

Keep your eye clean

During cataract surgery, a small incision in the front surface of your eye is created as a necessary part of the procedure. And after surgery, you’ll be given steroid eye drops to reduce inflammation and aid healing. These two factors create an environment that makes your eye vulnerable to infections as it’s recovering. Because of this, it’s important to keep the face area clean. Try to avoid soaps, shampoo, other detergents, and makeup around the eye. Also, stay away from unsterile water sources for the first week or so. This includes spas, hot tubs, swimming pools, and the beach. These locations are often a source of a nasty infection known as acanthamoeba keratitis.

Keep your eye protected

In addition to being at a heightened risk of infections, during the healing process, your eye is in a generally more fragile state. After your cataract surgery, you’ll walk out of the clinic with a protective shield. Wear this as per your cataract surgeon’s instructions. Often this may look something like keeping it on for the first 24-48 hours and then only at night for the following week or so. As your eye heals, you’ll also want to avoid any dirty environments that have the potential for debris to get caught in your eye. This may include your house basement or attic, or even the garden on a blustery day.

Complete your course of eye drops

It can be tempting to slack off with your prescription drops as soon as your eye starts feeling better. However, doing so can cause inflammation that was just about to resolve to flare up again.

Failing to finish off your drops as instructed may prolong your recovery.

After your cataract surgery, you’ll have two or three bottles of prescription drops. These are typically an antibiotic, a steroid, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

If you think you’re having a reaction to any of these drops or are having difficulty instilling them, contact your eye care clinician for help.

Allow yourself to rest

Perhaps you can’t wait to get out and about now that your vision is so much clearer, but it’s important to let your body rest following your cataract surgery. This includes leaving the housework for later or asking someone else to do it and avoiding any strenuous physical activity. Immediately after your operation, you may be feeling tired and woozy so you will need a driver to take you home. You may also need to have someone drive you around for the following few days until your vision is clear and comfortable enough, and you feel confident to drive.

Attend all your follow-up appointments

Although it’s some extra time out of your day, you’ll want to turn up for every review appointment you’ve been scheduled. During these consultations, your eye specialist or optometrist will check that your vision is on track and your eye is healing as is expected. Typically, these appointments occur a day after your cataract surgery, a week after, and a month after. These appointments are also a good time to ask for clarification if you’re unsure about what to do after cataract surgery.

Keep an eye on your eye

Although some mild discomfort such as grittiness, redness, and glare sensitivity is normal and expected in the weeks after your procedure, if anything feels not quite right with your eye, contact your eye specialist immediately. It may also take a few weeks for your vision to settle and clear up but it should never start to deteriorate as part of normal healing. Here are some red flags that should alert you to a problem with your eye’s healing in the post-operative period:

Increasing blur in your vision
Any areas of vision loss, including patches of greyed or blacked out vision
Increasing pain in the eye
Increasing redness in the eye
Increasing glare sensitivity
Seeing floaters or flashing lights
Any discharge from the eye, such as pus or mucous
Headaches or nausea

If you’re unable to contact the eye specialist who performed the operation, visit your local optometrist, GP, or hospital emergency.

Remember that having your cataracts removed still means you should maintain regular eye checks to ensure your eyes and vision stay healthy for the years to come.