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A cataract is more common with increasing age, though it can occur at any time in life. For those aged 45 to 74 the percentage of people with vision reduced by cataract is %. By age 60 years, more than 60% of eyes have cataracts. By 75 years of age, about 95% of eyes have a cataract.
What is Cataract
A cataract is where the clear natural lens inside the eye becomes cloudy so that light is scattered and blocked. Vision is then impaired. It may be like looking through frosted glass or there may be glare in bright lights or with night driving.
Eye with a crystalline lens is clear
When you are young, your crystalline lens is clear (no cataracts), therefore vision is clear
Cloudy crystalline lens and cataract is formed
Over the age of 50 years, the crystalline lens becomes cloudy (cataract forms), and vision becomes less clear, especially in dim conditions.
How do you know if you have a cataract?
Symptoms of cataract:
- Blurred vision
- Glare or haloes around bright lights
- Reduction or loss of color perception
- Difficulty with vision at night or in dim light
- Spectacle prescription changes but glasses no longer improve the vision to a normal standard
How cataract affect your eyesight
A cataract develops slowly and is often not noticed at first. Over time vision becomes affected and may be fuzzy. Colors may appear less vivid and washed out. At least 20% of cataracts get worse for a year and 65% worsen over 5 years.
If the cataract is left untreated, it will continue to develop and vision will get worse.
If you suspect you may have a cataract, you should see a cataract surgeon like Dr. Natasha Lim who will perform a sight test and examination of the eyes to look for the presence of cataract and any other eye problems which may affect the vision.
What is the treatment for cataracts?
Cataract cannot be treated with medication so surgery is the only treatment option. Cataract surgery Singapore is one of the most successful and fifteen minutes with over a million patients choosing to have cataract surgery each year, it is one of the most common of all elective surgical procedures. Millions of cataract procedures have been performed worldwide and the safety and predictability are well known to be excellent. The lens implant is expected to last a lifetime.
When should I undergo cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation surgery?
The time to consider surgery is when the effects of cataract start to affect your daily activity. When your quality of life starts to be affected, you should undergo cataract surgery to restore your vision. At the same time, it is also a golden opportunity for you to correct any pre-existing myopia (short-sightedness), long-sightedness, presbyopia (“Lao hua”) and astigmatism. In the hands of a skillful refractive surgeon, these refractive errors can be completely treated or reduced to enable spectacle freedom post-operatively.
What affects the outcome of your cataract surgery?
- The skills and expertise of the surgeon
- The accuracy of measurements and calculations for the lens implant power (biometry)
- The type of lens implant used
- The cataract surgery equipment and technology used
- The co-operation of the patient during the procedure
- The natural healing process of the eye itself
- The presence of other eye diseases may affect the prognosis of cataract surgery
How can cataract surgery change my life?
Many people who undergo cataract surgery by Dr. Natasha Lim praise the life-changing effect of the procedure. Vision is restored and colors come back to life with the world being brighter and more vivid.
The micro-incisional technique Cataract surgery used by Dr. Natasha Lim aims to provide a high quality of vision after surgery. In cases where the patient has a pre-existing refractive error such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness, astigmatism or presbyopia (“Lao hua”), cataract surgery has the potential to provide better vision than was previously experienced (without glasses) before the cataract developed.
Dr. Natasha Lim is a fellowship-trained, specialist cataract, the refractive and corneal surgeon who has performed cataract surgery for over 15 years. Her ophthalmic training was mainly undertaken at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, the leading specialist eye facility in the UK, and one of the world’s principal eye center. Since becoming a consultant at Singapore National Eye Centre in 2008, Dr. Lim has built her practice and surgery around clinical excellence, reputation, and trust. She aims to deliver the highest possible quality of care.
About Us
Dr. Natasha Lim spent most of her life in London and the UK before returning to Singapore in 2008. Dr. Lim made a breakthrough by providing better medical care, improving her consultation and communication skills with patients and achieving high-quality results for patients.
Location
#19-01/02/03/07
Royal Square Medical Centre
Royal Square @ Novena
101 Irrawaddy Road
Singapore 329565
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In partnership with Novena Bladeless Cataract Surgery & Eye Specialist Centre