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Cataracts


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I’ve just found out I have them.

Apparently it’s uncommon for someone my age to have them. I’m 49


Long story short

Around Jan/Feb this year I kept cleaning the left lens of my glasses thinking it was smeary all the time.

Bought a new car in Feb and went out for a drive with the wife one night in the countryside (actually drove to Cadwell) and the oncoming lights were blinding me and giving off a massive rainbow effect. It’s the first time I’ve actually been afraid on the roads. I thought it was the windscreen so asked my wife if she was experiencing the same thing. She wasn’t.

I then went out on the bike for first time this year just before lockdown so wore my contacts. This is when I noticed that my left eye was actually slightly blurry.


Trip to the optician, but she couldn’t find anything.

She referred me doctors who referred me to hospital.

Hospital said the consultant has read my file and doesn’t think anything serious so I will go on the normal waiting list. However they are not seeing any non emergency patients due to COVID-19. This was late September by now.

Not happy as the blurring was more noticeable!!


Now I pay for BUPA through work so I contacted them. Had appointment on Thursday and it was confirmed I actually have cataracts in both eyes!!

Have another appointment end of this month to discuss lens options as I am going to pay the top from the basic focal lens that BUPA will pay for.

My thinking is that I’m only going to have this done once so I may as well go all the way and not have to wear glasses for a very long time again. I hate wearing glass glasses. (Started wearing them 10 years ago.


Anyone else experienced cataracts?

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Guest Swagman

I have the start of one in the left eye blurry vision, I have my eyes done every year with the hospital as I have diabetes but they have never mentioned it, it was my optician who told me.

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Sorry to hear about that, I didn't know they were that common at your age, I always thought it happened in much older people. Both my parents had them but they were late 70's when it happened.


Hope you can get it sorted soon. Trying to get medical treatment at the moment is a frustrating experience. The NHS say they want people to see their doctor but if you try you just get fobbed off.

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My dad had them in his 80's and was still driving a car! God knows how he didn't have an accident. Still has to wear glasses though but he is 90 but no car. Didn't know that you could get them at that age (49) unless you were exposed to a lot of high intensity light / glare?

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Guest Richzx6r

Not good mate hope it gets sorted.


Never had it myself but it does run in the family and seen as I have been wearing glasses full time for the last decade I'm going to say its probable I'll have them at some point in life

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Usually is a family thing.

My grandfather had it, my mother had it so highly likely that I'll be next in line for surgery.

At 58 surprises me that haven't started yet.

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Been wearing glasses for work since I wuz 45. But no other eye problems so far.

I think it's pretty routine op now. The only difficult thing is finding someone to see you, but it sounds like you've got bit that sorted.

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Cheers guys


It’s unusual for someone my age but not unheard of.


My Dad had one eye sorted out 2 years ago which would have made him 68 and he’s just had the other done a few months ago. My Mum says she has started to get them so it does run in the family.

NHS won’t replace them until they deteriorate to a certain point. I guess they hope that you pop your clogs before you actually need them replacing.

My Dad drives and he kept bugging his optician that he couldn’t drive safely. Took him 4 trips in short succession before they referred him.


No, it’s not lens shaping. That won’t help with the Cataracts. A complete lens replacement is the only way to get rid of it. The NHS and any private health company like BUPA will only do the basic Mono focal lenses. I would still have to wear glasses for reading.

As I’m going under the knife I want to top up to the Multi focal lens so I don’t have to wear glasses.

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Hope you get sorted out mate, not nice hearing that news. Don't know about the cataract problem but my brother in law had lens replacement surgery done, he was in and out in a day and no problems, he actually wished he'd had it done years ago. Hope it all goes well for you.... :thumb:

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I had mine done about 5 yrs ago(just one eye, probably as a result of an old rugby injury). Its quite simple and painless but not something I enjoyed having done.


I got Posterior capsule opacity occur a 3 years later which is a complication of cataract surgery.


2 minutes of laser treatment at the local hospital soon sorted that out and no problems since.


As you say driving at night with a cataract is scary but I'm ok now.

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  • 2 months later...
On 13/12/2020 at 15:44, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

Done now? Happy?

Yep. All done and dusted. Left eye 5 weeks in and right 3 weeks. 
Still very early days but I no longer need glasses. Distance is taking a bit to kick (I was unbelievably far sighted) Can read a number plate at the required distance though but hope to get to somewhere where the distance vision feels more natural. 
 

I do have halo’s with headlights. It doesn’t concern me and the Consultant said this will get less in time. 
I do have some ghosting with text especially white writing on black screen. Which I’ve been told should settle. 
 

I have a follow up in 3 months, so will see (ahem) where it is then. 

Overall at this early stage I’m am very happy with results. 😀

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They didn’t come back, the posterior capsule (the back of the bag the new lens is resting in) can sometimes thicken giving the same effect as a cataract. This is easily remedied with an outpatients appointment and a bit of laser. Doesn’t hurt, takes 10 mins. 
Many people are prone to over dramatising anything to do with their eyes because having anything at all wrong can be very anxiety provoking. 
 

Lost count of how many frightened patients have told me their neighbour said “they take your eye out and dangle it on your cheek” which is impossible to do without blinding someone, the optic nerve isn’t on a spring but their neighbour told them so it must be true... 😆🙄

Or how many patients wear their eye patch about for days, sometimes for what they feel is extra protection but often so relatives can see they’ve had something done 😆

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Guest Swagman
2 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

They didn’t come back, the posterior capsule (the back of the bag the new lens is resting in) can sometimes thicken giving the same effect as a cataract. This is easily remedied with an outpatients appointment and a bit of laser. Doesn’t hurt, takes 10 mins. 
Many people are prone to over dramatising anything to do with their eyes because having anything at all wrong can be very anxiety provoking. 
 

Lost count of how many frightened patients have told me their neighbour said “they take your eye out and dangle it on your cheek” which is impossible to do without blinding someone, the optic nerve isn’t on a spring but their neighbour told them so it must be true... 😆🙄

Or how many patients wear their eye patch about for days, sometimes for what they feel is extra protection but often so relatives can see they’ve had something done 😆

O right that clears that up for thanks.👍

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13 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

They didn’t come back, the posterior capsule (the back of the bag the new lens is resting in) can sometimes thicken giving the same effect as a cataract. This is easily remedied with an outpatients appointment and a bit of laser. Doesn’t hurt, takes 10 mins. 
Many people are prone to over dramatising anything to do with their eyes because having anything at all wrong can be very anxiety provoking. 
 

Lost count of how many frightened patients have told me their neighbour said “they take your eye out and dangle it on your cheek” which is impossible to do without blinding someone, the optic nerve isn’t on a spring but their neighbour told them so it must be true... 😆🙄

Or how many patients wear their eye patch about for days, sometimes for what they feel is extra protection but often so relatives can see they’ve had something done 😆

Or like my slightly deranged father who having had his  eyeballs injected post cataracts drove home to Morpeth from Newcastle  in the dark. God knows how he didn't kill himself or somebody else I have no idea.

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