Cataract and Cataract Surgery Facts and Myths

Cataract and cataract surgery: Let’s bust some myths and learn some facts!

Myths

• Cataract can be dissolved with eye drops and surgery is not needed.
• Surgery is only needed when you have lost most of your vision.
• Cataract surgery is not safe for patients with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
• It takes a long time to recover from a cataract surgery, which means daily activities come to a stand still.
• After cataract surgery, everyone still needs to wear spectacles.

Facts

• Surgery is currently the only treatment for cataract.
  There are no eye drops or medicines available that can treat your cataract. There are three types of cataract surgeries. Your eye surgeon will guide you about which procedure is most suitable for you²⁹. Cataract surgery is a quick and painless procedure.
• A clouded cataract lens should be removed as soon as symptoms develop
  The early-stage symptoms of cataract are:
  • Difficulty to see well at night
  • Halos around traffic and street-lights
  • Colours appear faded
  • Need for more light to see³⁰.
  
  These symptoms will prove to be a problem when you read, watch TV, drive, and cook. Science now enables doctors to not only remove your cataract when these symptoms appear but to provide solutions that help you regain clarity of vision. What you really don’t want to do is wait for the cataract to ‘mature’ because the loss of vision at this stage is harder to fix³¹.
• Cataract surgery can be safely performed in people with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease or chronic kidney disease³².
  If you suffer from any of these conditions, your eye surgeon will give you a specific set of instructions before your surgery. He may ask you to undergo a few tests to understand the current status of your condition. You may need to visit your physician to adjust the dose of regular medicines that you take to manage your condition. You need to follow all the instructions given by the eye surgeon and take your medicines regularly. This will ensure you have a safe and effective surgery to gain clear vision.
• Modern cataract surgery is a day care procedure with fast recovery and minimal impact on your daily routine.
  You can do all your daily activities from the very next day of post-surgery. You can bathe from the neck down and wipe your face with a damp cloth from the first day post-surgery. You can read, write, watch TV, cook, paint; and continue with all your regular tasks. The only activities that you are required to avoid are splashing water into the operated eye, swimming and weightlifting. This needs to be followed for 1-2 weeks or as recommended by your eye surgeon³³.