As you get older, so do your eyes, particularly in your 40s. The lens in your eyes becomes susceptible to cataracts and presbyopia. This is all part of ageing or dysfunctional lens syndrome, which is a gradual but inevitable process of physiologic lens ageing. At Woodford Eye Clinic we look to rectify ageing lens syndrome we will help treat you and provide you with the best vision possible to continue your daily life as you would want.
Cataracts
Age related cataracts are when the lens, a transparent disc inside your eye, develops cloudy patches. Over time these patches usually become more prominent, causing light scatter, blurry vision, reduction of colours and eventually blindness. Ageing lens syndrome is a physiological expectation of age and reflects a natural dysfunction of the lens with changes in the proteins of the lens. Cataracts are more common and severe at younger ages in smokers and diabetics. Cataracts can be pathologic when caused by trauma, drugs, UV radiation etc..
When we're in our younger years, our lenses are usually like clear glass, allowing us to see through them. In ageing lens syndrome, they become tinted, like glass in a bathroom, and begin to degrade then reduce the quality of our vision, often making activities such as reading or driving at night or in bright sunlight, difficult.
Cataracts generally appear in both eyes. They may not develop simultaneously or be the same in each eye. They're more common in mature adults and can affect your ability to carry out daily activities. Therefore, having good health and avoiding smoking, overweight and diabetes can help slow cataract formation. The age at which adults have cataract surgery ranges from around 55 years up to 85 years and more.
When should you come and see us?
You should come and book a consultation if you have any of these symptoms:
your eyesight is misty or blurred
you find lights too glaring or bright
you struggle to see in low light
colours look dimmed or faded
Cataracts are generally not painful and do not make your eyes red or irritated, but they can cause some pain in an advanced stage of the condition. If you also have dry eyes, this can further degrade your vision.
Testing for Cataracts
The consultant will take a thorough history on how your vision affects you and what activities your reduced vision restricts you from doing well. The will run you through several diagnostic tests to assess your vision, like a visual acuity exam, which evaluates how well you see at various distances, the eye pressure,
Once the diagnosis of cataract is made, They may put drops in to dilate your pupils for fundal examination. Eye drops to dilate the pupils often blur the vision and will last several hours so you should not drive until the following day.
From all the above information they can decide that you will benefit from cataract surgery with an intra-ocular lens implant and arrange your surgery with you.
What happens during cataract surgery?
During the cataract operation, which is under topical local anaesthetic, you will not feel any discomfort. The surgeon makes a tiny incision at the edge of the cornea to get the microscopic instruments inside and removes the opaque lens from the eye using a particular ultrasound machine (phacoemulsification). The surgeon replaces the cataract with the specially measured and chosen artificial intraocular lens.
The cataract surgeon places the intraocular lens (IOL) into the tiny capsule sac inside the eye, which was previously part of the original lens capsule and lent the IOL stability. Before the operation, this sac contains the lens, and afterwards, it will have the IOL. Sometimes, the surgeon must put a small stitch in the incision and remove it a few days later at the clinic. YOU will have drops to put in the eye for two to three weeks after.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is the progressive loss of your eye's ability to focus on nearby objects. It's a natural, often annoying part of ageing. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in your mid-40s and worsens until age 65. Similar to cataracts, it is part of the gradual but progressive ageing lens problem or dysfunctional lens syndrome. As the lens transparency falls, the lens becomes more rigid and resists the change in shape necessary for accommodation for clear near vision. This is the physiologic basis of presbyopia.
You are likely to become aware of Presbyopia in your 40s or mid 40s when you start holding books and newspapers at arm's length to be able to read them.
When should you come and see us?
Presbyopia develops slowly. You may notice these signs and symptoms:
An inclination to hold reading material farther away to make it clearer
Blurry vision at average reading distance
Eyestrain or headaches after reading or doing work that strains the eyes
You may notice these signs and symptoms are worse if you are fatigued or are in an area with dim lighting.
Testing for Presbyopia
Presbyopia is diagnosed by an eye assessment, which includes a refraction assessment and an eye health exam.
A refraction assessment determines whether you have Presbyopia. Your consultant may use various equipment and ask you to look through several lenses to test your distance and close-up vision.
Presbyopia Treatment
Glasses are the main stay of presbyopia correction, with a change in the strength required every two to three years.
Laser refractive treatment changes the shape of your cornea and can be used to correct presbyopia, where it can improve close-up vision in your non-dominant eye.
Monovision contact lenses can help, where you have one contact lens for distance and one for near.
If you also have early cataracts, surgical removal of your lenses and replacement with Premium intraocular lenses which are multifocal or even continuous focal can suit some patients. Newer IOLs give true continuous vision from distance to near 33cm.
There are exciting developments with innovative eye drops to improve presbyopia, which we will see a lot more of in coming years.
Conclusion
Cataracts and presbyopia develop very slowly as you age, as part of ageing lens syndrome. Much can be done to alleviate the symptoms of ageing lens syndrome!
Therefore, as you age, taking care of your eyes has never been more necessary in order to keep clear vision and do all the activities you want to do. Book a consultation with us now, and Clinica London can ensure you can continue your day-to-day activities with no fuss!
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