SINGAPORE: For many people, from having blurred vision, they are able to see very well after cataract surgery.

This is the case for former schoolteacher Betty Chan, 59, who had been severely short-sighted since her primary school days. As a student, her friends used to tease her about her thick eyeglasses.

Following her cataract operation two years ago, she can now see clearly without glasses and only needs them for reading and other work done at close distance.

Madam Chan noticed her eyesight blurring when she was in her mid-50s. An eye-check revealed that she had cataracts in both her eyes. And she was recommended to have her cataracts removed.

“Now I like the convenience of not having to have my eyeglasses on all the time. Besides, my friends now tell me that I look younger without them!” said Madam Chan.

About cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens, the part of the eye responsible for focusing light and producing clear, sharp images. With clouded vision, it becomes more difficult to read, drive a car, or even see the expression on people’s faces. Apart from affecting a person’s vision, cataracts generally do not cause any irritation or pain.

According to Ophthalmologist Dr Zainah Alsagoff, a senior consultant with the Singapore National Eye Centre, most cataracts are related to ageing. “This is the most common cause although not everyone will develop cataracts. Then there are certain medical conditions like diabetes that may cause you to develop cataracts. Likewise for the use of certain medications like steroids,” said Dr Alsagoff.

Other causes of cataracts are from eye injuries whether soon after or several years later. In addition, there are some people who are born with cataracts or develop them in childhood. If their eyesight is affected, the cataracts need to be removed.

“There is no specific way to prevent or delay it, although protection from UV light, keeping yourself healthy, and avoiding smoking may help,” advised Dr Alsagoff.

Signs and symptoms of cataracts

In the early stages, a person may not notice any changes in vision. Cataracts grow slowly, so vision worsens gradually.

The most common signs are:

Cloudy or blurred vision problems with light, bothered by glare from cars, headlights, lamps, and bright sunlight, colours looking faded, poor night vision and increase in short-sightedness.

“Nowadays, with current methods of surgery, we operate when the patients” poor vision significantly affects their quality of life. We do not need to wait for the cataracts to ripen. That was more for the older method of surgery,” added Dr Alsagoff.

Treatment of cataracts

Explaining the surgery for cataracts, Dr Alsagoff said that it entails making a wound of less than 3mm in size on the cornea. Through this wound, an ultrasound probe is inserted. This device will soften and “suck” out the lens. An artificial lens, known as intra-ocular lens, is then inserted into the eye through the same wound. The wound will heal without any stitches. The surgery is done as a day surgery and injections to the eye are usually not necessary with this method.

Cataracts often occur in both eyes. However, doctors will usually operate one eye at a time.

“This is just in case of any infection, both eyes will not be affected at the same time. Depending on your doctor, he may decide to operate on the other eye one week later, if there is no complication from the operation on the first eye,” said Dr Alsagoff.

She said that if the patients have no other eye problem, they should be able to see very well after cataract surgery.

In fact, some of the patients may not need their eyeglasses at all after the operation. However, some will still need eyeglasses to see a far distance only, some need them for reading only, and then there are those who need their eyeglasses for both far and near vision.

High rate of success

The rate of success for this operation is 98 per cent. As in any other surgery, there are risks involved. In a small minority of cases ” only about two per cent ” the complications that may occur include bleeding, wound leaks, high eye pressure, infection, and damage to intra-ocular structures.

The Singapore National Eye Centre is a leading eye centre in Singapore as well as in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. More than 10,500 cataract surgeries are performed each year at this centre. A strict quality assurance programme instituted by the centre ensures excellent results, comparable to other world-class eye institutions.