Dr Philippa Kaye Maisie had worn glasses for years, she had been short sighted since a teenager and also started wearing varifocal lenses. Recently, her eyesight had deteriorated and she assumed she needed new glasses, but hadn’t got round to making an appointment with an optometrist when lockdown happened. Maisie waited until they reopened then had a phone appointment with me as the optometrist told her they were concerned about cataracts.
What are cataracts? Cataracts are generally related to increasing age (though other types exist) and is when the lens of the eye develops areas which become cloudy. Age related cataracts are common in the UK, with about 1 in 3 adults over the age of 65 affected. Do cataracts always affect both eyes? Cataracts can occur in one eye or both and it can take years for the cataracts and symptoms to develop.
Doctors don’t always know why cataracts develop but having various conditions can increase your chances of developing cataracts, for example diabetes, high blood pressure or smoking. What symptoms should we look out for? Pic: Shutterstock / leungchopan You may have cataracts but have no symptoms at all, especially in early stages. Many people have their cataracts diagnosed during a routine eye check.
Symptoms generally start with your vision being a bit blurry. Other symptoms can include seeing haloes around lights, such as car lights or lamp posts, or you may find lights such as car headlights become dazzling. You may also have noticed t.