A cataract is a clouding of the lens in your eye. It can affect one or both eyes. Cataracts are treated by surgery, where the cloudy lens is removed and replaced by a clear artificial lens.

Cataracts are responsible for around 50% of world blindness. Most cataracts develop slowly over time and affect people over the age of 60. However in some cases, cataracts can start at an earlier age especially in someone who is diabetic, or on steroid medication.

In most cases, cataracts will continue to worsen slowly over time, causing progressive reduction in vision. Driving can be affected, as well as overall quality of life. In some cases, a change in the glasses prescription may improve your vision if the cataract is worsening, but other times it will not. If unsure, it is better to have a comprehensive eye examination and discuss this with your ophthalmologist. The examination is also useful to exclude other eye conditions that could affect the vision, such as macular degeneration, other retinal diseases and glaucoma.

Cataracts can be removed at any stage. Making the decision to have your cataracts removed depends on a number of things, including how badly your sight is affected, whether you have any other eye conditions, if you only have sight in one eye and how you use your sight on a daily basis. Surgery should be carried out if the benefit of the operation outweighs the small risk associated with the surgery.