• By EYE Q India
  • November 15, 2021
Glaucoma / काला मोतिया

Don’t neglect your cataract: consequences of untreated cataracts

Cataract surgery is a routine and safe operation that removes the clouded lens and replaces it with a new artificial lens that is clear, the artificial lens implant improves and restores eyesight. Laser-assisted technology is often used to achieve this.

When to have cataract surgery?

A cataract occurs most commonly due to age-related changes in the natural lens, but it may also occur as a result of an eye injury or a health problem such as diabetes or hypertension and prolonged use of some medications.

If a cataract is interfering with your daily activities, the best eye doctors may recommend cataract surgery. The hazy lens is removed and replaced with a prosthetic lens during surgery, which generally results in clear vision being restored. ‘Femtosecond Lasik Assisted Cataract surgery’ which is also known as FLACS or Robotic Cataract Surgery is the latest development in the field of cataract surgery worldwide. The average cataract surgery cost in India ranges from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 1,20,000 , depending on the facility, type of cataract surgery technique, type of lens to the implant, and city.

Once the cataract develops, the undue prolongation of cataract surgery may result in suboptimal recovery of vision even after cataract surgery. If you have blurring of vision in one or both of your eyes, you should get your eyes checked and if your doctor tells that you are having a cataract in your eye then you should plan a cataract surgery after discussing with your treating eye specialist. Cataracts may grow to the point that they block vision completely if not treated. In rare instances, they may result in vision loss and complete blindness. Timely cataract surgery helps in recovering your vision completely.

Here are some of the consequences of untreated cataracts or effects of delayed cataract operation:

  • Mature cataract complications: When a cataract is left untreated, the natural lens keeps on losing its transparency and turns white in colour. Also, with the progression of cataract, the lens becomes very hard. At this stage, when the cataract is hard and completely white in colour, it is called a mature cataract. A mature cataract thickens to the point that surgical removal is dangerous. Early detection and, if necessary, surgery may decrease the danger and enhance your quality of life.
  • Daily activities, driving, and going out from home become risky if there is an advanced cataract. Untreated cataracts may damage your eyesight to the point that you may sustain a serious physical life-threatening injury.
  • A mature cataract can block the drainage of fluid inside the eye. This results in increased pressure in the eyes, it is termed as glaucoma and this usually results in irreversible loss of eyesight. Glaucoma is more likely if you have advanced cataracts.
  • Cataracts may develop in one or both eyes, and they proceed differently in each. For example, one eye may be worse than the other or develop a cataract more quickly.
  • Cloudy, blurry, hazy vision or abnormal light may be caused by cataracts. These symptoms result in poor quality of vision and affect all your routine work in different ways.
  • Objects seem to be tinted or yellowed. The colors appear to have faded. Later on, it becomes impossible to distinguish between them.
  • Around lights, there are haloes and glares. The appearance of haloes and glare around the point source of light (eg bulb or headlight of approaching vehicle) results in extreme difficulty especially while driving the vehicle at night. Night vision problems may also be due to changes in pupil size in dark conditions exposing patients to more problems during the night which could easily be ignored during the day. Driving the vehicle at night becomes dangerous in such cases.
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  • Double vision is a common occurrence. It may occur due to the clouding of the natural lens and affects daily activity. The double vision may result in a headache or in severe conditions this may be dangerous while driving a vehicle because of poor judgment about localizing objects

Cataracts can be treated effectively, and surgery is a feasible and effective treatment option. Eye-Q India’s equipped with top-notch cataract surgery services and the best eye specialists can assist you to decide whether cataract surgery is appropriate for you.