If your glasses feel perpetually smudged, you’re increasingly sensitive to glare, or your short-distance vision mysteriously seems to be improving, it could be a precursor to the world’s leading cause of blindness – cataracts.

Despite their pervasiveness, cataracts are widely misunderstood, often leading to neglect and unnecessary discomfort, according to a Canberra expert.

Blink Vision Clinic principal surgeon Dr Richard Barry says one of the most common misconceptions is that cataracts are strictly an “old person” affliction.

“People often chalk common vision impairments down to the inevitability of ‘getting old’,” he says.

“Age is not a reason — age is just a number. The reason people lose vision when they get older is definable and diagnosable.”

Put simply, cataracts are a degenerative condition characterised by cloudiness in the lens, leading to blurred vision.

But there are different kinds of cataracts, which present differently and affect different groups, including young people.

“Older patients often say to me, ‘My distance vision is not as good as it used to be, but I’ve actually ditched my reading glasses’. That transition from distance to near is a shift in the focus of the eye that is usually caused by the standard age-related nuclear cataract,” Dr Barry says.

“Posterior subcapsular cataracts, on the other hand, affect reading vision more than distance, and they’re actually more common in a younger cohort than the older.”

Increased glare sensitivity, especially at night, is often from cortical cataracts.

“If you’re feeling increasingly reluctant to drive at night, it might be worth getting checked out.”

Blink Vision Clinic principal surgeon Dr Richard Barry says age isn’t the cause of vision loss. Photo: Blink Vision Clinic.

The bottom line is, while most cataracts are age-related, the underlying factors can range from genetics to trauma, prior inflammation of the eye due to steroid use or previous surgery. They can also be spontaneous.

But while cataracts can, and do, impact diverse cohorts, there’s plenty of good news.

Unlike irreversible conditions like macular degeneration, there’s an answer for cataracts: surgery to remove the cataract (cloudy lens) and replace it with an artificial lens.

In the past, this was considered a major operation, but Dr Barry says it is now a low-energy, day surgery that takes about 5 to 10 minutes per eye.

“It’s one of the most commonly performed procedures in ophthalmology, with high predictability, quick recovery and very low complication rates,” he says. “You only need to do it once. Once removed, the cataract does not return.”

Modern lenses offer a range of options, from full-range vision lenses to extended depth-of-focus lenses and high-quality monofocal lenses.

While cataract surgery is a personal decision, Dr Barry says patients can benefit from acting before cataracts become very advanced.

“The lens becomes denser and requires more energy to remove. Also, as the eye ages, the structures supporting the lens weaken. A dense cataract can put stress on these structures, making surgery more complex, increasing complication risk and slowing recovery,” he says.

“If someone is already symptomatic, delaying surgery can mean years of reduced quality of life: difficulty driving, reading, or doing daily activities.”

For patients seeking more than cataract removal, it’s important to find a clinic that offers comprehensive refractive surgery, including lens exchange and laser vision correction.

“We use multiple diagnostic devices to improve accuracy and outcomes, and we audit results continuously to optimise performance,” Dr Barry says.

“Because of this, we can also manage the small number of cases where outcomes aren’t perfect, using additional procedures like laser enhancements or supplementary lenses to refine results to the highest possible standard.”

To make treatment easier for patients travelling to Canberra, Blink Vision Clinic offers same-day bilateral surgery, so patients can have surgery on both eyes in one go and return home with minimal disruption.

“We also have a very good relationship with our referring optometrists remotely, and they are happy to follow up for post-operative checks.”

For more information, visit Blink Vision Clinic.