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what does cataract vision look like melbourne

What Does Cataract Vision Look Like? Discover How It Can Be Treated

January 19, 2022/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Have you recently been feeling like your vision is deteriorating? How do you know whether what you’re experiencing is a serious, sight-threatening eye condition or a simple age-related haze in your eye’s lens that can be fixed with cataract surgery? While any changes to your vision are best diagnosed with a comprehensive eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist, for those wondering what does cataract vision look like, here’s what you might expect if your sight deterioration is from cataracts.

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is any haze or opacity in the crystalline lens of your eye. A normal, healthy lens is transparent, allowing light to pass through it for clear vision. There are many causes of a cataract, however, older age accounts for most cases of cataract in the Western world. Other causes of a cataract can include trauma to the eye, whether physical, chemical, or electrical; systemic metabolic diseases, such as diabetes; or as a result of certain medical interventions, including medications or eye procedures.

The location, density, and type of cataract will play a role in determining your cataract symptoms and the answer to what does cataract vision look like for you. The impact of a cataract on an individual’s vision and quality of life will also be subject to various factors, including their tolerance to blur and sensitivity to changes to their sight, as well as their hobbies and vocation.

At the moment, the only definitive treatment for a cataract is through cataract surgery. Cataract surgery is a common eye operation that involves complete removal of the cataract, replacing it with an artificial lens implant called an intraocular lens. In Australia, you can access quality cataract surgery with an experienced ophthalmologist through both the public and private medical systems.

So, what does cataract vision look like and when should you suspect that you have a cataract?

What Does Cataract Vision Look Like?

In the early stages of a cataract, you may not notice any changes to your sight at all. In most cases, cataracts progress quite slowly, making it difficult to discern that your vision is deteriorating over time. Some people realise for the first time that their vision is not as good as it used to be only when they attend a routine eye check.

As the cataract continues to develop, you may become aware that certain activities are becoming a little more difficult. These may include:

Difficulty with reading. While reading large black letters against a stark white background in natural sunlight is most likely going to continue to be quite easy, there will be other circumstances where reading may take a little more concentration than usual. These situations may include trying to read coloured text against a coloured background, or when trying to read the fine print of a medication bottle. Some people with cataract also find it increasingly difficult to read in dim lighting and need more focused task lighting on their reading material. The reason for these issues is that the cataract is reducing your visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.
Difficulty with driving. Similar to reading, if it’s a bright day with clear skies, you’re not likely to find driving a problem. However, many people with cataracts begin to feel less comfortable and confident driving at night or in grey, cloudy, rainy conditions. The deterioration of your contrast sensitivity from the cataract is again responsible for this. As your cataracts advance, you may find it more difficult to pick out a silver or grey car ahead of you through the rain. Some types of cataracts can cause an increase in glare sensitivity, which can mean the headlights of oncoming cars on the road or street lights may also feel more dazzling when you drive at night.
Difficulty with colour vision. One type of age-related cataract known as nuclear sclerosis results in a yellow-brownish tinge in the eye’s lens. This coloured haze filters out certain wavelengths of the colour spectrum, which can alter your colour vision. Not many people with cataract realise this change to their sight is happening until after they undergo cataract surgery and then realise how much more vibrant colours are. If you have a hobby or occupation that requires fine colour discrimination, such as a painter or colourist, you may be more aware of this change to your vision.
General difficulty with seeing fine detail. As the cataract progresses, the clouding in your eye’s lens will block more and more light from reaching the sensory retina, which is necessary for sight. This will result in an overall reduction in your clarity of vision, which some people describe as foggy, filmy, hazy, or blurry. In addition to increased difficulty with reading small or low contrast text, there may be other situations you may find more challenging, such as recognising faces from afar.

Sight through a cataract is not associated with flashing lights in your sight, areas of complete vision loss, or spots and specks in your vision. These symptoms should be urgently assessed by an eye care professional or hospital emergency department.

If you think you’re ready for cataract surgery, speak to your optometrist or ophthalmologist. They will be able to examine your eyes and vision and offer advice on the timing of cataract surgery.

Call us on (03) 9070 5753 today.

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

What Causes Cataract? Information On How To Manage This Condition

December 31, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Most people have heard the term “cataract” before. In fact, it is likely that most people will personally know someone who has a cataract or who has undergone cataract surgery. Cataracts are a very common finding during an eye exam, mainly because developing cataracts is a normal part of ageing. Other than age, keep reading to find out what causes cataract.

What is an Eye Cataract? Information About the Condition

A cataract is an opacity of the lens inside the eyeball. This lens is typically transparent so that light can easily pass through to allow for vision. However, due to the various factors that can lead to developing cataracts, the eye’s lens can lose its transparency. This results in the typical symptoms of a cataract, which include hazy, filmy, or cloudy vision, reduced contrast sensitivity, and increased glare sensitivity.

In the early stages of a cataract, surgery may usually be postponed quite safely. Your optometrist or ophthalmologist will discuss with you whether they recommend you undertake cataract surgery at a certain point in time or whether your vision can be reasonably improved through a change in your spectacle prescription or by increasing the lighting in your environment. If you find that these measures aren’t sufficient to improve your sight to a level you’re comfortable with, your eye care professional will counsel you on your options with cataract surgery.

Depending on what causes your cataract, there may be some situations where the cataract progresses rapidly, causing a steep decline in your vision. This may mean you need to undergo cataract surgery just a short period of time after first developing cataracts.

What Causes Cataract? Find Out the Various Factors Affecting the Conditions of the Eyes

Increasing age accounts for the vast majority of cataract cases, known as senile cataracts, and subsequently, the majority of cataract surgery operations. Although there are exceptions, these tend to be slow-growing. While it’s not fully understood, age-related cataracts are thought to develop due to changes to the lens structure from accumulative oxidative damage to the fibres. UV exposure is also a contributing factor. The damage to the lens fibres causes them to lose their transparent arrangement, resulting in a haze in the lens.

What else causes cataract? There are various causes that can lead to the formation of a cataract, including:

Certain systemic diseases or conditions

A systemic disease is one that affects the entire body and is not localised to one organ or area, like the eye. Certain metabolic systemic conditions have been associated with the formation of a cataract and an increased risk of requiring early cataract surgery. Abnormal metabolic processes in the body can result in certain compounds accumulating in the lens of the eye, affecting its transparency and resulting in a cataract. Diabetes is a well-known metabolic disease that is linked with the early development of cataracts. During diabetes, high glucose levels in the body cause the eye’s lens to swell as it absorbs excess water into its fibres. This influx of fluid damages the fibres, causing them to become opaque and creating a cataract. Having a metabolic disease has the potential to make your cataract surgery at a higher risk of complications.

Other systemic conditions that are associated with cataract development include hypertension, obesity, allergic disease (known as atopy), juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and Marfan’s syndrome.

Certain medications and medical procedures

Although medicine is designed to cure not harm, cataracts are a side effect of some drugs and medical procedures. Steroid medications, whether administered topically to the eye, ingested orally, injected, or inhaled, are a known culprit on the list of what causes cataract. Typically, the effects of steroid medications in the formation of a cataract will be dependent on the dosage and the duration that you’re using the medication. However, some individuals are more susceptible to the effects of these medications compared to others.

Some medical procedures to the eye have the potential to cause a cataract as an unfortunate side effect. One of the more common of these is retinal detachment repair. Although the surgery to fix a retinal detachment is intentional, the trauma of the procedure may induce a cataract, which must then be addressed with cataract surgery.

Lifestyle choices

Both cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption have been associated with the development and accelerated progression of cataracts, though the exact relationship is not always clear. Smoking can double your risk of developing a cataract compared to someone who has never smoked. While quitting smoking reduces your risk, it will still never be as low as if you had never smoked in the first place.

The relationship between alcohol and cataracts is less well defined. Some studies note an increasing risk of age-related cataract with increasing alcohol consumption. However, there is some suggestion that moderate alcohol consumption may in fact protect against cataract development.

Risk of Trauma

In addition to trauma to the lens as a side effect of a deliberate medical procedure, cataracts may also be induced from accidental trauma. This includes electrocution, chemical injury to the eye, or physical trauma, whether blunt trauma or a penetrating eye injury.

Though there are factors that can complicate cataract surgery and increase the risk of a suboptimal outcome, most cases of surgery are quick and uneventful. Cataract operations are considered to be safe and effective.

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.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Cataract Surgery? Time of Healing

December 16, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

So, you’ve done the hard work, found yourself a reputable eye specialist, and are preparing yourself for cataract surgery. But then you remember that you have things to do, places to go, and people to see, and undergoing a prolonged period of cataract surgery recovery could possibly cause a sizeable dent in your busy schedule. How long does it take to recover from cataract surgery and what else do you need to know about the cataract surgery recovery period? Keep reading to find out.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Eye Cataract Surgery?

As everybody (and every eye) is different, the length of time it takes to fully recover from cataract surgery can vary from person to person. Generally speaking, many people will feel that their vision has fully stabilised and their eye is back to normal (albeit with much clearer vision), about 4 to 6 weeks after their cataract surgery procedure. However, for some people, complete cataract surgery recovery can take up to 3 months.

Many people report clear vision as quickly as several hours after undergoing cataract surgery. However, as the eye heals physically, you may find your vision can fluctuate slightly as the weeks pass. You should also expect to experience some dryness, or mild irritation of your eye immediately after your cataract surgery procedure. This should improve over the few weeks following your operation, though in some people it can persist for months.

Depending on your occupation, you may return to work as soon as within the next day or two. This is more likely with people who work in administrative or more sedentary roles. Those who work in occupations that involve exposure to dust, dirt, or other debris, or which are physically demanding or with a risk of trauma to the eye, may be advised to stay away for at least a couple of weeks.

Certain risk factors are associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing a complication from cataract surgery, which may prolong your recovery time and require further medical intervention to restore your vision. These include certain having other eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, corneal disease, or a previous retinal detachment. Older age and having had a previous eye procedure called a vitrectomy can also increase your risk of complications. If you have any disorders that tend to make you slow to heal wounds, you may also find your cataract surgery recovery to be extended.

How to Minimise Your Cataract Surgery Recovery Time?

There are certain steps you can take to optimise your healing from cataract surgery and reduce your risk of experiencing a complication during the post-operative period. These are some general guidelines. However, it is important to follow whatever specific instructions your eye surgeon has given you.

Rest as needed

As with any surgical procedure, your body needs some time to recuperate after a cataract operation. You would have been advised in advance to have someone drive you home on the day of your procedure. However, your eye surgeon may also recommend you avoid driving for a little while longer until your eye and vision have been reassessed to ensure driving is safe for you.

If possible, try to also take a break from housework or other strenuous activities. This includes carrying heavy grocery bags, physical exercise, and even vigorous mopping or vacuuming.

Take your medications

Your eye surgeon will provide you with a prescription for two or three eye drops, which can be collected from the pharmacy. They include a preventative antibiotic, a steroid drop, and possibly also a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. You’ll need to use the drops several times a day for them to be properly effective, so if the dosing regimen gets confusing, try to come up with a way to help keep yourself organised. This may involve setting an alarm on your phone when your drops are due or keeping track of a chart.

All three of these drops are important in the healing process for your eye and will play a part if you’re wondering how long does it take to recover from cataract treatment surgery. Be sure to complete the full course of these drops as you’ve been recommended, even if you think your eye is already feeling better sooner than expected.

Protect your eye health from trauma and contamination

As it recovers, your eye is more vulnerable to infection and injury. Avoid any activities that can result in trauma to your eye, whether it’s playing contact sports, coming too close to your very energetic puppy, or going outdoors on a blustery day. You will also want to stay away from environments that are particularly dusty or dirty during your cataract surgery healing period.

While it’s important to keep your eye clean, you don’t need to use any soaps, detergents, or cleansers; just use clean water to gently wipe your eye. Some eye surgeons will recommend you avoid washing your hair for the first couple of days so that no shower water and shampoo accidentally run into your operated eye. During the first week after your procedure, it’s a good idea to postpone any visits to the beach, spas or saunas, and swimming pools, as these bodies of water are common sources of a particular eye infection called acanthamoeba keratitis.

Contact for more cataract surgery healing information

If at any point your eye or vision don’t feel quite right, contact your eye surgeon on (03) 9070 5753 immediately.

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

How Do You Know If You Have a Cataract? Know What You Should Do

November 30, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Tens of thousands of people around the world are treated with cataract surgery every day. A cataract is a haze or loss of transparency of the crystalline lens inside the eyeball. This results in less light being able to make it through to your retina, causing the image to become degraded and unclear. However, blurry vision is only one of the symptoms of a cataract, and in some cases, not even the first noticeable sign. So, how do you know if you have a cataract and what should you do if you suspect you have one?

How Do You Know if You Have a Cataract?: Symptoms to Look Out For

Fortunately, cataracts are considered benign, typically a normal and expected part of ageing. So if it takes a while to get into an eye care professional for diagnosis, or if you have to wait for cataract surgery, it’s unlikely to cause any harm.

However, as visually significant cataracts are treatable through cataract surgery, it can help to recognise that your symptoms are caused by a cataract. These are some common symptoms of a cataract.

Unclear vision. At some point, you may realise your sight isn’t as sharp as it once was. However, age-related cataracts tend to progress very slowly, making it difficult to discern such minute changes to your vision over an extended period of time. Some people also don’t identify their vision as blurry or unclear at all. Instead, they may describe their sight as foggy, cloudy, hazy, or like constantly looking through a dirty window or smudged glasses.
Altered colour vision. A specific type of age-related cataract known as nuclear sclerosis causes a browning/yellowing of the crystalline lens. This results in certain wavelengths of light being filtered out, which changes your colour perception. Similar to the deterioration of your visual clarity, not everyone will notice this change as it happens very slowly and can be difficult to discern.
Increased glare sensitivity. The opacities of a cataract can cause light to scatter as it enters the eye, which we perceive as glare. You may find that you no longer feel comfortable driving at night as oncoming headlights or street lamps feel too bright. During the day you may feel more dependent on your sunglasses whenever you go outdoors, or perhaps you feel the illumination from your electronic devices is getting uncomfortable.
Reduced contrast sensitivity. Contrast sensitivity refers to our ability to discern detail against a background; for example, words against a page. As a cataract develops and impacts your contrast sensitivity, you may find tasks like reading coloured text against a coloured background becoming more difficult. People with cataracts may also feel uncomfortable driving in low contrast conditions, such as dusk or dawn, or heavy rain.
Frequent changes to your contact lens or spectacle prescription. Although a prescription may change naturally over the course of time, a developing cataract has the potential to shift your eye’s power more rapidly than considered typical. Depending on the type of cataract, your prescription may become either more long-sighted (hyperopic) or short-sighted (myopic), or may even alter your astigmatism.

A cataract is never associated with pain or redness of the eye, nor with a sudden loss of vision. Some types of cataracts may develop more rapidly than others, but they are never responsible for waking up with abrupt vision loss. If you experience pain, redness, or sudden vision loss, even in conjunction with the previously mentioned symptoms of a cataract, you should visit your eye care professional or your local hospital emergency department immediately.

How Do You Know if You Have Eye Cataract?: Diagnosis with an Eyecare Medical Professional

The most definitive way of answering “how do you know if you have a cataract?” is to simply attend for an eye test with your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

While a general practitioner is likely to suspect you have a cataract based on your reported symptoms, they do not typically have access to the necessary equipment to diagnose a cataract.

At the eye care clinic, the optometrist or ophthalmologist will ask you to read letters on a chart to determine your visual acuity. If your contrast sensitivity needs to be tested, they may also use a chart with letters of increasing faintness. The clinician will have a look at the cataract directly using a slit lamp, which is a piece of equipment with a microscope and light assembly.

It’s unnecessary to undergo cataract surgery for cataracts that are early or not considered visually significant. Instead, you’ll be monitored at regular intervals to follow your cataracts as they progress. Once it’s determined that your cataracts are causing you problems, you will be offered cataract surgery.

Cataract Surgery: Treatment to Improve Eye Health

Cataract surgery is typically a quick, uncomplicated day procedure. In Australia, you have the choice of going through the public system or the private system. While the private system offers you more options, such as the type of lens implant, which surgeon performs your operation, and has shorter waiting times, you may incur significant out-of-pocket costs, especially if you don’t have private health insurance. Prior to seeing an eye specialist, you may want to discuss your options for surgery with your local optometrist.

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.

Cataract Surgery Aftercare – Tips on Optimising the Recovery

November 15, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Although cataract surgery is considered a safe and effective procedure, all medical operations carry some degree of risk of a complication or adverse event. These incidents may occur during the operation itself or during the postoperative period.

While some things may be out of the control of both you and your eye surgeon, there are certain steps you can take to reduce your risk of a problem arising during your cataract surgery recovery period. Adhering to best practice guidelines for cataract surgery aftercare may also help to shorten your healing time, getting you back to doing the things you love sooner.

A Brief Explanation of Cataracts and Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are an opacity that forms in the crystalline lens of the eyeball. Increasing age tends to be responsible for the vast majority of cataract cases. As the cataract progresses, you will find your vision gradually becoming less distinct, and even your colour vision may become altered. Among other situations, people with cataracts may complain of difficulties with seeing fine detail, reading in low light, or driving at night.

In the early days of a mild cataract, you may find your vision can be sufficiently improved through changing your spectacle or contact lens prescription, or by increasing your ambient or task lighting. However, the only definitive treatment for a visually significant cataract is through cataract surgery.

During the cataract surgery procedure, the ophthalmologist will remove the cataract through a small incision in your cornea. This is a day procedure performed under topical or local anaesthesia. Most uncomplicated cataract surgeries take as little as 15 to 20 minutes. Once the cataract has been extracted, an artificial lens implant is then inserted in its place. This implant, known as an intraocular lens, is typically calculated to correct your eye’s prescription. This means many people are able to see clearly spectacle-free after their cataract operation.

After your cataract surgery, aftercare guidelines will be provided by your ophthalmologist. In order to optimise your cataract surgery recovery, it’s important to follow these instructions as best as you can.

What to Expect During Cataract Surgery Recovery?

Understanding what is and isn’t expected during your post-operative healing period can help you to act more quickly if something seems amiss.

As a general rule, if anything doesn’t seem quite right with your eye or vision, it’s a good idea to get in touch with your ophthalmologist. They may be able to advise you over the phone as to whether your concerns are something that needs to be attended to immediately, or whether it’s part of the normal course of your cataract surgery recovery.

Immediately after your operation, your vision may be already reasonably sharp, or at least much clearer than when the cataract was still present. Because the intraocular lens implant will be in place, you’ll find your prescription glasses and contacts are no longer the correct scripts.

However, don’t expect your vision to be crystal-clear straight after the operation. As your eye heals and the lens implant settles in its membrane, your vision may continue to shift and improve. A typical timeframe for your vision to settle completely is around 4 to 6 weeks.

Your eye may feel a little gritty for a week or so after the surgery and may look slightly red or puffy. Some people will experience dryness of the eyes that can persist for weeks or months.

At no point should the following be dismissed as normal during your recovery from cataract surgery:

Increasing redness of the eye
Decreasing vision
Flashing lights or floating spots in the vision
Pus or mucous discharge from the eye
Sudden loss or black/greying out of any part of your vision
Increasing pain in the eye

If you experience any of these symptoms, contact your ophthalmologist or optometrist immediately, or visit the emergency department of your local hospital.

Cataract Surgery Aftercare Guidelines

Your ophthalmologist may provide you with slightly different cataract surgery aftercare instructions depending on your specific circumstances. However, these are a general rule of thumb.

Keep the eye protected. As your eye is still healing after cataract surgery, it’s important to protect it from any accidental bumps, pokes, or debris. Wear your provided eye shield as instructed. This may include for the first 24 hours and then overnight every night for the week following your cataract operation. Take a break from any activities that put your eye at risk, such as contact sports or rough play with your children.
Keep the eye clean. In addition to taking care not to get dirt or dust in your eye, try to avoid any other chemicals or substances coming into contact with your eye as it’s healing. This includes cosmetics, moisturisers, soaps, shampoos, and cleansers. You’ll also want to steer clear of pools, the ocean, spas, and saunas as these are a source of a dangerous infection called acanthamoeba keratitis.
Use your prescribed eye drops. Your ophthalmologist will provide you with a script for an antibiotic and one or two anti-inflammatory drops. Use these for the full course as directed; ceasing your medications early will put you at risk of rebound inflammation or an opportunistic eye infection.

If any instructions are unclear to you after your cataract surgery, you may want to discuss them with your ophthalmologist or local optometrist.

Call us (03) 9070 5753 today.

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

Cataract Signs and Symptoms – What You Should Need To Know?

October 31, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

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.

what to do after cataract surgery melbourne

What to do After Cataract Surgery? Make Recovery as Smooth as Possible

October 17, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

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.

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.

What is Cataract Surgery? All You Need to Know About the Procedure

September 30, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed procedures in Australia and throughout the developed world. As hundreds of cataract operations are conducted every day in our country, efforts are continually being made to advance the efficacy and safety of this procedure. So, how do cataracts affect you, what is cataract surgery and how does it work? Keep reading to find out.

What Are Cataracts?

In simple terms, a cataract is defined as any loss of transparency to the natural lens inside the eye. This lens starts out transparent at birth (barring any congenital cataract), which allows light to be transmitted through it to reach the retina at the back of the eyeball. This step is the beginning of the process we know as sight.

As we age, the natural lens of our eyes begins to lose its clarity. Although there are a few proposed underlying reasons for this, one cause is thought to be oxidative damage to the lens fibres, which results in them becoming cloudy. Ultraviolet exposure is also thought to contribute to the development of age-related cataracts. While increasing age is the most common cause of cataracts, which is why cataract surgery is so prevalent in our ageing population, it is not the only cause. Cataracts may also be:

Present at birth (congenital cataracts)
Caused by trauma, such as a high impact blunt blow or penetrating injury
Associated with systemic diseases, including diabetes or galactosaemia
As a result of another medical intervention, such as a retinal detachment repair or steroid use, known as an iatrogenic cataract

The result of a cataract is impaired sight. This is typically noticeable in the form of blurry, hazy, or foggy vision, but may also manifest as alterations to your colour vision, increasing glare sensitivity, or increased difficulty in low contrast lighting conditions.

In most cases, cataract surgery is able to safely and effectively restore your vision. So, what is cataract surgery?

What is Cataract Surgery?

At this time, cataract surgery is the only way to effectively treat a cataract. If you are in the early stages of cataract development, you may opt to safely defer cataract surgery. Managing the changes to your vision with updates to your glasses or contact lenses is a valid way of improving your functional sight while you wait for your cataracts to be ready for surgical removal.

During a modern cataract surgery procedure, your entire cloudy crystalline lens is removed from the eye and replaced with an artificial lens, known as an intraocular lens implant. This artificial implant is typically calculated to correct your eye’s prescription, resulting in the potential for clear, spectacle-free vision after your surgery!

There are two popular techniques of cataract surgery in Australia at the moment. The traditional, conventional method is known as phacoemulsification. This technique, although older, is still widely used by eye specialists and is considered safe and effective. With the advent of femtosecond laser technology, a highly precise laser tool, femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery is gaining popularity among some surgeons. Some ophthalmology clinics may even offer both surgery techniques, depending on your specific situation.

Both phacoemulsification and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery techniques involve the same basic steps. The difference is typically whether the step is performed manually or with the femtosecond laser. In general, studies have concluded that both techniques are safe, effective, and result in very similar visual outcomes.

What is Cataract Surgery? The Steps

Before the operation, the eye must be prepared with an anaesthetic. This is administered either by topical eye drops or a local injection around the eye area. Once the eye is appropriately numbed, an incision must be made at the edge of the cornea, which is the clear dome of tissue at the front surface of the eyeball. This can be performed with a bladed instrument, as in conventional phacoemulsification, or with a femtosecond tool. Once this incision has been created, tools may be inserted into the eyeball to access the cataract.

The cataract sits inside a membrane, known as the capsular bag. To extract it, the capsule is cut open, either with a manual tool or with the laser. From here, an ultrasound probe is needed to break the cataract into smaller fragments. During phacoemulsification, ultrasound is utilised solely for this process. Alternatively, femtosecond technology may be used to first soften the cataract before the ultrasound probe is applied, which may reduce the amount of ultrasound energy required to fragment the cataract.

Once the cataract is broken into smaller pieces, it is then suctioned from the capsular bag. An intraocular lens is then inserted through the corneal incision and manipulated into position within the capsule. Some intraocular lenses may be placed in a different location within the eye, such as in front of the coloured iris rather than behind it inside the capsule. However, unless there is a reason the capsule is unsuitable to hold the implant, the majority of cataract surgery procedures will position the intraocular lens here.

You will be sent home with a protective eye shield and post-surgery instructions. Regardless of which surgery technique you had, the eye will take some weeks to settle and heal fully. The end result? Clear, crisp sight.

Call us on (03) 9070 5753 today 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.

Cataract Surgery Benefits vs Risks – What to Expect on the Treatment?

September 15, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Considering cataracts are becoming increasingly prevalent in our population, it is fortunate that cataracts are one of the few eye conditions that can be fully treated and any vision loss restored. In this case, cataract surgery is the go-to, definitive treatment. Cataract surgery is considered a very safe, highly effective procedure in our society. However, as with any invasive medical procedure, cataract surgery carries benefits but also risks.

How do you decide whether the cataract surgery benefits outweigh the risks? Part of it will be discussing your concerns and potential risk factors with your optometrist, eye surgeon, or GP. These healthcare professionals will be able to guide you by taking into account the state of your cataract and vision as well as any pre-existing systemic or eye conditions that may predispose you to greater risk during cataract surgery.

To help you make a more informed decision, here are some cataract surgery benefits and risks you should be aware of.

Cataract Surgery Benefits

The most significant and obvious benefit of cataract surgery is, of course, restoring the clarity of your vision. This is typically the reason the vast majority of people will seek cataract surgery in the first place – because they’re no longer satisfied with the clarity of their vision.

Although cataracts are not typically associated with complete blindness in our developed society, the opacity of a cataract can significantly reduce the quality of your sight. The effects of a cataract can also often extend beyond simple blurriness. Having the opacity and haze removed from your eye’s lens through cataract surgery can also:

Make colours appear more vibrant and your colour discrimination more accurate.
Improve your contrast sensitivity.
Reduce your glare sensitivity.

Depending on the type and location of your cataract, and how it had been impacting your vision, you may experience one or all of the benefits listed above. This translates to improved comfort and function in scenarios such as reading the fine print in dim lighting or driving in low contrast environments, including dusk and dawn or heavy rain. The significance of these benefits may vary from individual to individual. For example, an artist or painter will place more value on the restoration of his or her colour discrimination, while an overnight truck or taxi driver will appreciate the improved contrast vision and reduced glare sensitivity.

Another big plus of cataract surgery is that it can help to stabilise your prescription. Because the shifting refractive index of the crystalline lens in the eye is largely responsible for changes to your spectacle or contact lens prescription, replacing this lens with an artificial implant can remove this driver behind prescription changes. However, it is important to note that other eye conditions, such as keratoconus, may still play a part in shifting your prescription post-cataract surgery.

In addition to stabilising your prescription, cataract surgery may potentially remove your dependency on a prescription altogether. Depending on what type of artificial lens implant you choose for your procedure, the outcome may be excellent long-distance and/or short distance vision without the needed-for glasses or contact lenses. There are different types of implants, known as intraocular lenses, available to suit various lifestyles and activities. The most premium intraocular lenses may provide you with clear unaided vision for both long-distance and reading in most situations. However, even the more basic lens implants can still correct one viewing distance, such as far sight, while you continue to wear glasses for reading or computer work.

Cataract Surgery Risks

In most cases, cataract surgery is an uncomplicated, straightforward procedure, taking only 15-20 minutes per eye. However, there is still a risk of complications or adverse side effects to be aware of.

The most common side effects are minor and temporary. These may include effects such as dry eye or an increase in glare sensitivity as the eye adjusts to the removal of the cataract and increased influx of light. Supportive therapies such as lubricating eye drops or sunglasses can be used to make you feel more comfortable as the eye settles. Another common observation after cataract surgery is the presence of floaters. These little drifting specks in your vision are a result of natural debris floating about the gel inside your eyeball.

Severe and sight-threatening complications during or after cataract surgery are uncommon but not unknown. These include:

A serious internal eye infection known as endophthalmitis.
A retinal detachment.
Swelling and fluid leakage around the macula (the central area of your vision).
Increase to the internal pressure of the eye and subsequent glaucoma.
Prolonged pain and inflammation of the eye.
Swelling of the cornea.
Haemorrhaging inside the eye.

Most of these complications may be effectively treated or managed but there is a small potential for permanent vision loss.

Although there is always room for the unexpected to occur during any medical procedure, your eye surgeon will take all precautions to reduce your risk of an adverse effect. This includes being aware of any other eye conditions, such as an existing retinal tear, that may increase your likelihood of experiencing a complication.

In the vast majority of cases, cataract surgery benefits will outweigh the risks. However, it is important to speak to your eye care professional for personalised advice.

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.

eye care after cataract surgery melbourne

What To Know About Eye Care After Cataract Surgery?

August 31, 2021/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Undergoing cataract surgery can cause both apprehension and excitement. Yes, no one is keen on having a surgical procedure done to an organ as delicate as the eye, yet clearer (and potentially spectacle-free) vision is on the way. Once the cataract surgery procedure is complete, your ophthalmologist will give you a list of post-operative instructions to follow during your cataract surgery recovery period. Although different cataract surgeons may have slight variations in their preferred specifics of eye care after cataract surgery, here are some general guidelines.

Eye Care After Cataract Surgery

Optimising your cataract surgery recovery involves following your doctor’s instructions. Although cataract surgery is a very common procedure in Australia, there is always a low risk of a complication or adverse effect occurring during the postoperative period. Being meticulous about your eye care after cataract surgery will help to minimise this risk.

Use your prescribed eye drops

After your cataract surgery procedure, your eye specialist will prescribe you two or three medicated eye drops. This will include an antibiotic to prevent any opportunistic eye infections, and one or two anti-inflammatory eye drops. You will most likely start with these drops around four times a day and be asked to use them for about four weeks or until the bottles are empty. Although this sounds like a long time and a lot of effort, finishing the prescribed course of medication is important as it will help your eye to heal. If you stop taking the eye drops too soon, it may result in prolonged eye inflammation and an extended cataract surgery recovery period.

Take a rest for as long as necessary

As with many surgical operations, cataract surgery can really take it out of you. You may feel drowsy or fatigued after your procedure, especially if you were administered light sedation to help calm any nerves. You will have already been advised to have someone drive you home after the procedure; if you still don’t feel quite right the following day, make sure you don’t get behind the wheel until you do. Let yourself have a break from house chores and work for at least a few days.

Attend your review appointments

Many eye surgeons and their clinical team will perform a review appointment one day after your cataract surgery, one week later, and then a month later. This is to ensure that your eye is healing as expected and your vision is stabilising.

Although it is extra time out of your day, turning up for these appointments is important as it may catch problems early. In some cases, it may be appropriate to have your post-cataract check-ups with your local optometrist, who will keep in communication with your eye surgeon. This can make it easier for those who live inconveniently far from their eye surgeon or if it’s difficult to get an appointment at the ophthalmology clinic.

Protect your eye

It goes without saying that you should keep your eye clean and protected during the cataract surgery recovery period. Exposing your operated eye to dirt, dust, pathogens, and the risk of trauma too early can have devastating consequences on your vision, not to mention prolonging your recovery time. Immediately after your cataract operation, you will have a protective plastic shield taped over the operated eye. Your eye surgeon may want you to keep this on for the first 24 hours, including overnight, and then only at night for the following week or so. Try to avoid areas that you know are hazardous for a healing eye, such as a dusty basement, dirty construction site, or even a windy park. For the first week or so you may also want to avoid any soaps or makeup around your eye area, as well as getting any unsterile water in the eye, such as from swimming pools and saunas.

Be vigilant about any unexpected symptoms

Although some pain, redness, grittiness, and glare sensitivity are entirely normal immediately following your procedure, some symptoms can be a sign that your eye is not healing as it should. These symptoms include:

Increasing pain and redness
A discharge from the eye
Deteriorating vision
Headaches or nausea
Seeing floaters or flashing lights

If experiencing any of these symptoms, you should contact your eye surgeon immediately and without delay. If you are unable to get in touch with your usual ophthalmology clinic, you may want to contact your local optometrist or take yourself to the nearest hospital emergency department.

After the Post-Op Period

Even long after your post-operative period, eye care after cataract surgery doesn’t stop there. Many people believe that since they no longer need glasses or contact lenses after having had their cataracts removed, it’s no longer necessary to have regular eye tests. Although you’re not going to be bothered by a cataract again, there is still the possibility of another eye condition occurring. Older patients, the typical demographic for cataract surgery, also tend to be at a higher risk of other eye diseases such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, making it even more important to maintain regular contact with your local optometrist or ophthalmologist. In Australia, the general recommendation is to see an optometrist once a year if you’re over 65, even if you don’t think you have any eye or vision problems.

Call us on (03) 9070 5753 today 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.