Cataract Surgery & Treatment in Woodville, Adelaide

Cataract is a very common eye disease that could cause blindness if left untreated. Although they are most often a consequence of ageing, although less commonly, cataracts can also occur in babies and children. At SA Eye Specialists you will find one of the best eye specialists proficiently trained in performing cataract surgery in SA.

A cataract occurs when the eye’s natural lens starts to turn opaque gradually. This causes the gradual fogging of vision which makes it more difficult to see things clearly. Cataracts generally develop in both eyes; although they will usually be more advanced in one eye. However, when you have to go through cataract surgery in both eyes, each cataract surgery will usually be undertaken a few weeks apart.

How To Know If You Have Cataract?
Here are some of the common symptoms of cataracts you must be aware of:

Difficulty seeing due to cloudy or blurry vision.
Reduced vision at night.
Sensitivity to light or glare.
Frequent change in Glasses and Double Vision.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing any of the above symptoms, it is highly recommended to see an eye specialist in Woodville, Adelaide at the earliest.

Cataract Eye Surgery in Adelaide for Kids

Although cataracts are most commonly the result of ageing, they can also affect children. However, unlike adults who can postpone the surgery in some cases, cataract surgery is very urgent in children. This is because untreated cataracts can have permanent adverse effects on a child’s vision.

Untreated cataracts in children can lead to poor visual development, wobbling eyes, and a squint. The connections between the eyes and brain are very immature in younger children and any interruption to their visual development at a younger age can limit these connections from developing to their full capacity causing permanent damage to visual development. Hence, in such cases, it is best to seek advice regarding cataract surgery in Woodville, at the earliest.

Lady with cataracts growing across her pupil affecting her sight

Visit SA Eye Specialists For A Comprehensive Cataract Eye Treatment In Adelaide

Our highly experienced eye specialists, specialise in treating cataracts in babies, children, and adults. With years of experience and the use of cutting-edge technology, we ensure every treatment is given as smoothly and effectively as possible. If you notice any symptoms of cataracts in your or your child’s vision, visit us at the earliest for comprehensive cataract eye treatment in Woodville, directly across from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Also check out our eye treatment services for glaucoma, and pterygium eye surgery in Woodville, to ensure optimal eye health.

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The most common symptoms of cataracts in adults are reduced or clouded vision, along with increased sensitivity to bright lights or glare. This could in turn mean that you have problems driving at night. Reading in a dim light may also be challenging.

Needing to change your glasses prescription, or having to wear glasses when you didn’t previously need them, may also be suggestive of cataract formation.

Ophthalmologists generally classify three different types of cataract according to the part of the eye lens eye that they affect.

Nuclear Sclerotic Cataract: Affecting the central part of the eye lens (known as the nucleus), this is the most common type of cataract, and can cause the lens to harden and turn yellow. Although a nuclear sclerotic cataract can in some cases lead to a temporary improvement in close-up vision through changes in the eye’s ability to focus, over time there will be a deterioration in overall vision quality.
Cortical Cataract: In this less common form of cataract, the cortex (the outer part of the lens) clouds over and ‘spokes’ pointing in towards the centre are formed. If you have this type of cataract, glare can make it difficult to see clearly, and/or depth perception can also be affected.
Posterior Subcapsular Cataract: The symptoms of this form of cataract include excessive sensitivity to light, difficulties with reading and glare (e.g., seeing a ‘halo’ effect around objects). This type of cataract can develop quite quickly, especially in diabetics or anyone who has used corticosteroids for extended periods of time.

The way cataracts develop can be unpredictable, and in some cases cataracts treatment may not be required. However, once the condition begins to affect the clarity of your vision, you will need to consult an eye specialist to discuss the optimum time to undergo cataract surgery. This may not be urgent, but over time it is highly likely that eye surgery will be required.

Cataract surgery is the procedure whereby a clouded natural eye lens is removed and replaced with a clear lens implant (known as an intraocular lens or IOL). This plastic lens then performs almost the same function as the eye’s natural lens.

Cataract eye surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that can be performed as a day surgery procedure under local anaesthetic for adults, or under general anaesthetic for children.

Once the decision to undergo cataract surgery has been made, there are steps that you will need to follow in preparation:

If you notice any changes in your health ahead of your cataract surgery, you should advise your surgeon, as it is important to ensure you have no infections in the eye.
If you are taking prescription medication, you should continue to do so.
You might be given eye drops to administer in the days before your surgery.
If you wear contact lenses, you will likely need to avoid wearing them for a few days before your cataract eye surgery.
Fasting may or may not be required ahead of your surgery, although it is advisable to stay away from alcohol and heavy foods.

Adults: In most cases, your vision will continue to improve within few days after cataract surgery. Depending on the intraocular lens choice, you could be absolutely glasses free for driving, computer vision and near vision. The complete recovery can take up to 4 -6 weeks and you will be required to use antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops after the operation.
Children: Although in most cases the cloudy lens is replaced by plastic intraocular lens during cataract surgery, as a baby’s or child’s eye is still growing, an intraocular lens may not be inserted at the time of the initial procedure. Instead, the IOL (or clear lens implant) may be inserted during a second operation at a later date when your child is older.

When it comes to recovering from cataract surgery in children, there are some things that your paediatric eye specialist may recommend, including wearing glasses or contact lenses. Ongoing treatment may also be required to repair developing eye-brain connections, in order to help clear images to focus on the retina.

Before and after cataract surgery to remove the growth over the pupil

FAQ's

Thanks to modern technology and vast improvements in medical science, the success rate of cataract surgery has vastly improved. Cataract Surgery has a success rate of approximately 97%, which is considered very good.

Dr. Swati Sinkar

Dr. Swati Sinkar is a dedicated and experienced General Ophthalmologist with a special interest in cataract surgery, Pterygium surgery, eyelid malpositions, glaucoma treatment, Macular degeneration treatment, and paediatric ophthalmic conditions. She has been extensively trained in Australia and overseas and was awarded a Fellowship from RANZCO in 2015. Passionate about preventing paediatric blindness, she established neonatal screening for Retinopathy of Prematurity in Northern Adelaide at Lyell McEwin Hospital. Dr. Sinkar mentors trainees, teaches internationally, and values evidence-based medicine, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. Outside work, she enjoys cooking, travel, cricket, and badminton.

Cataract often negatively affects a person’s depth perception, increasing the chances of falling. Cataract surgery has proven to improve depth perception by removing cloudy lenses and replacing them with plastic IOLs.

Dr. Swati Sinkar

During the surgery, your cataract-affected lenses are replaced by artificial lenses, known as intraocular lenses or IOLs. These lenses also help you focus on distance, removing the need to wear glasses, especially for driving.

Dr. Swati Sinkar

Your GP or optometrist will need to refer you before you can make an appointment to see our Doctors. It is usually the case that any referral remains valid for 12 months. If you don’t have a current referral, Medicare will not pay the rebate and so you will be liable for the full cost of any consultations or treatment.

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Although your ophthalmologist will not be able to prevent cataracts from developing, it nevertheless pays to have regular checkups (particularly as you get older), to ensure that they are diagnosed as early as possible, or so that, if present, their development can be carefully monitored by your eye surgeon.

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Currently, surgery is the only treatment available for cataracts. However, it is believed that there are ways in which diet and lifestyle can help to delay their onset or slow their growth.

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Although there is not enough evidence, it’s been thought that a healthy diet rich in antioxidants and certain vitamins can produce positive results in terms of slowing the progress of cataracts. This is because oxidative stress (caused by insufficient antioxidants in the body) is thought to damage enzymes and proteins in the eye’s natural lens, and causes the lens to become clouded.

Therefore, eye surgeons would recommend eating foods that are rich in antioxidants, plus supplementing your diet with vitamins B, C and beta carotene to reduce the risk of cataracts forming, or to slow down their progress.

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Recent research would seem to suggest that there are steps that can be taken with regard to diet, lifestyle and medical check ups that may be able to slow down or inhibit the growth of cataracts.

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In the most extreme cases cataracts can severely impair vision or even lead to blindness. On most occasions, cataract surgery is performed in one eye at a time followed by surgery in other eye a few weeks later.

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While it is possible to live with cataracts for some time without them impacting your life, there can be a significant deterioration in the quality of life. In particular, as the majority of people with cataracts will likely be over 60 years of age, there is an increased risk of falls as a result of impaired vision, and this can ultimately impact on the ability to live independently. It can also affect the driving ability and some may find it difficult to hold a driver’s license if the vision is reduced beyond the legal limits.