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Cataracts

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Steff

Steff

Little Miss Chatterbox
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hiya guys,

Just after any help from anyone who has suffered with these,my type 1 uncles latest retinopathy test showed he has these but no further action needs to be taken, understandbly he is not so much worried but abit concerned as he knows very little of cateracts, he and my father dont have the internet so I said I would find out abit of info for him so if anyone has first hand experience or if not any of your family has can you just talk me thorough what happened,did they become worse, how did you cope etc etc

Thanks.

Off to do abit of googling now see what I can come up with.
 
Hi Steff I know a few people who have had cataracts treated. One decded to wait as long as he could to have his done has he had heard that the lenses they replace the cataract with only last so long. I don't know if that is true but it did delay him getting treatment.

I guess with your uncle they think the changes are so slight at the moment to suggest surgery. He could have a chat with the optician - they may be able to put his mind at rest.
 
The operation in done under a local anaesthetic, the actual operation doesn't take long at all.. They may consider a GA if the patient is unable to keep still or is very nervous about it all..

The reason why they wait to do a cataract replacement is down there is a slight chance that the operation will fail causing a loss of sight... So they tend to wait until there is a significant loss of vision..

There's no real time scale to replacements as most people don't have problems afterwards, a couple of people a reaction that over time clouds the lens but out of the people I know I've only known one person this has happened to.. the rest have had there's done with no problems with op or afterwards, my sister had a new lens over 20 years ago and still on the same lens with no problems..
 
Thanks ladies, I managed to find some pictures online as well and someone actually having the op.
 
Hi Steff, when they say no action needed, it just means either not in the field of vision or not affecting sight. So a close eye will be kept on them when he has his check up every year.
 
Pumper_Sue said:
Hi Steff, when they say no action needed, it just means either not in the field of vision or not affecting sight. So a close eye will be kept on them when he has his check up every year.
Click to expand...

Thank you Sue
 
Steff said:
Hiya guys,

Just after any help from anyone who has suffered with these,my type 1 uncles latest retinopathy test showed he has these but no further action needs to be taken, understandbly he is not so much worried but abit concerned as he knows very little of cateracts, he and my father dont have the internet so I said I would find out abit of info for him so if anyone has first hand experience or if not any of your family has can you just talk me thorough what happened,did they become worse, how did you cope etc etc

Thanks.

Off to do abit of googling now see what I can come up with.
Click to expand...

Hi Steff,
Nothing was picked up in my retinal screening in August.
When I saw an optician in September, I was told that she wouldn't be surprised if my sight changed in the next 6-12 months as she could see early signs of cataracts.
She suggested that if I noticed any changes that I should inform my G.P. and he could either get in touch with her via the telephone or I could contact her and she would pass her findings on to him.
Haven't noticed anything yet but it seems that the future holds treatment for me for this complaint.
 
I was told that I had early stage catarcts over five years ago but they never needed surgery. However they did replace the lens in each eye last year - equivalent to cataract surgery - to help the glaucoma. What I hadn't realised was that the new lens means that although distance vision can be improved it usually means that you need glasses for reading/your reading vision worsens. Thi s is because on the NHS they only use lenses to help distance vision. I understand that private surgery uses a lens to help both short and long distance.
 
cherrypie said:
Hi Steff,
Nothing was picked up in my retinal screening in August.
When I saw an optician in September, I was told that she wouldn't be surprised if my sight changed in the next 6-12 months as she could see early signs of cataracts.
She suggested that if I noticed any changes that I should inform my G.P. and he could either get in touch with her via the telephone or I could contact her and she would pass her findings on to him.
Haven't noticed anything yet but it seems that the future holds treatment for me for this complaint.
Click to expand...

They don't actually check for cataracts when screening as cataracts unless pretty ripe won't effect the photo's. This is left for your normal yearly optician eyesight check up.

Same as seeing the specialist, they do the eye chart to make an comparison from one appointment to the next to determine whether eyesight is getting worse, they don't check for the need of glasses etc...

Cataracts are only caused by an eye injury, the injury itself doesn't even have to be noticeable at the time could be a minor as a piece of grit/dirt in the eye, if it scratches the lens it will eventually develop into an cataract. It can even be a injury sustained as a child and doesn't develop until you'll in your 60's plus...

Les's cataracts is a direct result of his eye operations as he was told before the operations, the above information with his operation being the 'injury' that would start it. But they couldn't give a any time scale it didn't work that way, as some will need a follow-up cataract operation within a year, others much longer in Les case the cataract op was done 10 years after the original op.. But the operation that he had on his right eye which was carried out almost 13 years ago, he's got a cataract but no need for a operation yet, could be at the rate it's seems to be developing several more years yet.
 
AJLang said:
I was told that I had early stage catarcts over five years ago but they never needed surgery. However they did replace the lens in each eye last year - equivalent to cataract surgery - to help the glaucoma. What I hadn't realised was that the new lens means that although distance vision can be improved it usually means that you need glasses for reading/your reading vision worsens. Thi s is because on the NHS they only use lenses to help distance vision. I understand that private surgery uses a lens to help both short and long distance.
Click to expand...

I put this as a separate post has it's a tangent

My sister was born with some internal parts of her eye missing, and her irises are elongated like cats eye's not round, meaning blind in one eye and her good eye very limited sight that landed her in blind school with the diagnoses that in her teenage years she would be totally blind..

Her eyesight did get a lot worse, but she didn't fully lose it with the help of contact lenses and bottled bottomed glass's she retained some contrast sight until about almost 30 years ago and a very talented eye surgeon came up with an idea or two..

His theory was that he could save a bit longer, the remaining sight she had left in her good eye, if he could adapted the lens correctly to fit her irises, so he did a trial run on her blind eye to see if there was any chance of his theory worked, then he operated on her good eye which went so well not only did it save the sight she did actually improved it enough, that she is registered as partial sighted but with modifications made to her computer screen she can work, she still couldn't describe me or even her own children apart from our outlines as she can't make out facial features very well at all.. As she relies on contrast and feel..

My sister is a pretty amazing person as her lack of sight has never held her back, she taught herself to knit and sew to professional standards, but using feel backed up by the limited contrast sight, her children could by the age of 4 thread her sewing machine for her! It is a pretty awesome experience to watch her work.. More so when somebody there who doesn't realise that She almost blind and they don't click.

P.S

I put this in a separate post, due to being slightly off on a tangent in case one of the mods, feels that it really could do with moving to a thread of it's own.. Makes life easier
 
I had cataracts at the tender age of 42. My mum had them around the same age so it was hereditary, although it was also thought that the aggressive chemo I had for breast cancer might have helped them along a bit. I've had both of them done privately, and was left with excellent distance vision, but now need reading glasses. However, a film developed on both eyes last year so I had to have special laser work done to break down the film...
 
I'm told that 'Diabetics are more prone to them' - Gee thanks D.

However my optician reckons that I'd be able to see em in the mirror long before I ever need treatment for them or they actually affect my eyesight.

So I don't worry about it/them.
 
LOL Cherry - I agree that could be a problem here as well !

I seem to have many of the causes, oops. Diabets, smoking and advancing old age. (Had to snigger though - 'Long term use of statins'. Stick another log on my furnace ...... 😛 as if I needed any more ....... )
 
trophywench said:
I'm told that 'Diabetics are more prone to them' - Gee thanks D.

However my optician reckons that I'd be able to see em in the mirror long before I ever need treatment for them or they actually affect my eyesight.

So I don't worry about it/them.
Click to expand...

Only just caught up with this tread:(

K has cataracts at age of 13 almost certainly caused by D ( but no proof of this)

Sorry TW but they most certainly effect her vision but you can't see than in her eyes when you look at her - depends on the cateract perhaps.

Children are often born with them but there is some evidence that some children who are Dx with D after having symptoms for some time will go on to be Dx with Cataracts quite shortly after the D Dx (as K was).

Steff - your relative I assume has age related Cataracts - my Mum has coincidentally just had a cataract removed - she is 79 this year. Op seems to have gone quite well but was under local and her eye must have moved at 'wrong moment ' so had to have stitches and extensive courses of various eye drops - was on about different doses a day including anti biotic ones. She goes for her check up tomorrow. She thinks she will have general anaesthetic for second eye if they will let her (asthmatic) to avoid same thing happening.

My Gran (Dad's Mum) had cataracts op in her 80's and complete success - never needed glasses again and lived to be 93😉

We are still waiting to see if K will have hers removed yet - one problem with children is their eyes are still growing :(
 
Hi,
I am newly diagnosed and have cataracts in both eyes. I knew I had one in left eye but its got a lot worse since being diagnosed with diabetes. I have just been for my first clinic appointment recently and was at eye clinic today as a matter of fact. I am on the waiting list for getting the left eye done as it is the worst, I can't drive at the moment as I have double vision, and my optician says I will wait about 12-16 weeks (Edinburgh area) to be even seen. I have been told its a fairly simple procedure which takes about 20 minutes, but still trying not to think about it just now. I also sew and do lots of crafts, so really important to look after my eyesight. xx Is
 
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