Cataract

Development and symptoms

Our vision is the main factor which decides how we perceive our surroundings and respond to it.
Even minor restraints affect our quality of life. With the natural aging process (after the age of 45) sharp vision in close-up areas distinctly decreases: this is commonly known as presbyopia.

After the age of 60, visual perception continues to change: colours seem to be paler, contrasts less sharp and light sensitivity (especially at night) increases: symptoms that point to a cataract.

The term “cataract” stands for clouding of the lens. Initial cataract in elderly people is not an illness but a natural symptom of an aging lens which affects most people over 65.
An untreated eye cataract results in a complete loss of vision due to increasing opacity of the lens.


What are the treatment options?

In order to restore sight, cataract surgery is the only option. In the process, the opaque lens is removed and replaced by a clear artificial one (intraocular lens). Cataract surgery is generally the most common surgery in industrialized countries. Every year 600,000 cataract surgeries are performed in Germany and 40,000 to 50,000 cataracts are removed in Austria. The results speak for themselves: given that no other eye disease exists, almost all patients’ vision considerably improved after surgery.