WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CATARACT ?
Decline in vision
Frequent changes to your glasses prescription
Increasing need for glasses
This is often slow but over the years your vision may feel less good than it used to be. Colours may be less vivid.
Sometimes comparison to previous tests highlights how good you used to see so your Optician is a good guide as to how your cataracts may be affecting you.
Increasing need for glasses
Frequent changes to your glasses prescription
Increasing need for glasses
You may be finding that you need your glasses more often, for example greater dependance for reading, driving and daily life.
You may feel that your glasses don't improve your vision as much as you'd like or permanently feel like they need a clean. This is often cataract.
Frequent changes to your glasses prescription
Frequent changes to your glasses prescription
Frequent changes to your glasses prescription
Often a cataract causes a progressive change in your prescription and requires your glasses to be frequently "made stronger".
This is common sign of cataract.
In the early stages new glasses can help but later on the changes happen very quickly (often expensive) and eventually even with stronger lenses you may not be able to improve your vision to meet your expectations.
Glare / Dazzle
Difficulty Reading
Frequent changes to your glasses prescription
When the lens inside your eye become cloudy it can cause glare or dazzle symptoms.
This is particularly bothersome in low sun or whilst driving at night.
Removing cataracts often significantly improves your ability to drive after dark and oncoming car headlights are much less debilitating.
Difficulty Reading
Difficulty Reading
Difficulty Reading
Reading is one of the most demanding functions for your eyes but one we all love to do.
Small print often serves to highlight the level of impairment that cataract may be causing you.
If reading is less enjoyable than it used to be or you find you need a brighter light to read then it may be time to consider cataract surgery.
Problems Driving
Difficulty Reading
Difficulty Reading
Cataracts can impair our ability to drive. Difficulty seeing road signs, parking accidents or loss of confidence behind the wheel can all be attributed to cataract formation.
There is also a legal visual requirement for driving which we must all adhere to. Often your Optometrist will tell you if you are getting close to this minimum standard.
CATARACT SURGERY COSTS
FIXED PRICE SURGERY
Our Cataract Surgery package has a fixed price of £2600 which includes all hospital and surgeon fees, post operative medication and 24 hour emergency support.
You may find surgery cheaper online with providers specialising in bulk surgery or those who delegate parts of your care to Optometrists or Nurses.
A CHOICE OF LENS OPTIONS TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS
MONOFOCAL IMPLANT
A monofocal lens implant has a fixed focal length and is the most popular type of lens worldwide (NHS and Privately)
Premium monofocal implants allow us to set your eyesight to perfect focus at your desired distance. Most patients choose distance vision as this is the most useful for daily life. In doing so, the world around you is in focus from the far horizon to about 1 metre in front of you.
A pair of reading glasses will allow your eye(s) to focus closer for tasks such as reading, sewing or computer work.
Monofocal design continues to improve and provide great ability to see in dim lights, reproduce colours naturally and provide excellent levels of contrast and clarity.
If you are insured for your operation, nearly all insurers only fund this type of lens. (If you wish another lens type then most insurers allow you to "top up").
TORIC LENS IMPLANT
A toric lens implant allows Mr Lindfield to correct your astigmatism. "Astigmatism" means that your eye is effectively rugby ball/egg shaped and has a different focus vertically compared to horizontally.
Many people with astigmatism have been told about it (for example have a strong astigmatic prescription in their glasses). However, some patients do not have much astigmatism in their glasses but their corneal measurements (performed at a cataract discussion appointment) show that if a "standard" lens is inserted then significant levels of astigmatism will be present after surgery. This is a common cause of dissatisfaction after surgery so Mr Lindfield will always discuss the merits of a toric lens if this applies to you.
Toric lenses are precision made to counteract / neutralise the warpage of your eye from the inside and hence reduce your need for glasses afterwards.
Toric lenses come in monofocal or multifocal types.
A premium of £700 is often required for a toric lens to cover the additional costs and complexity involved.
MULTIFOCAL LENS IMPLANT
Multifocal lens implants are a more recent development and continue to improve every lens generation. The can provide excellent distance, intermediate and near vision without glasses.
This type of lens can be life changing but it requires precision measurements and eyes which are in perfect health except for your cataract. They also require counselling and a discussion about your requirements. For some people these lenses open a world of visual freedom but they are not suitable for everyone.
The work by providing your eye with more than one focus at the same time and then asking your eye and brain to "tune in" to what it wants to see. There's often a short learning curve of a few weeks whilst you adjust to what these lenses can do for you but sometimes this can take many months.
>95% of patients with these lenses are satisfied or very satisfied with their vision but there are some potential downsides:
- Night driving / low sun can highlight "rings" around bright areas of your vision (the lenses has concentric rings which enable it to provide both near and far focus). These after often noticeable but very rarely debilitating
- Your vision may be less good in low light conditions than it is in bright light conditions. However, it is rarely debilitating and often just requires you to turn the lights up brighter.
These lenses carry a cost premium also. Currently this is £800 at time of writing but a formal statement of cost will be provided for you at your clinic appointment.