Age-related cataracts

Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness and a major cause of visual impairment worldwide.

When we’re young, our crystals are usually like transparent glass, allowing us to see through them. As we age, they start to frost, like bathroom glass, and begin to limit our vision.

Cataracts generally appear in both eyes. They do not necessarily develop at the same time and sometimes with different speed and importance between the two eyes.

Cataracts are extremely common in the elderly, and can limit their ability to carry out everyday activities such as driving.

When to consult a doctor :

Cataracts are often slow to develop, making them an insidious disease whose early detection can only be achieved through a thorough eye health check-up by an ophthalmologist from the age of 50.

The most advanced forms manifest themselves as:

• • A blurred or foggy eyesight

• • The impression that lights are too bright or dazzling (usually car headlights…).

• • Reduced vision in low-light conditions.

• • The impression that colors have become bland.

• • If you wear glasses, you may get the impression that your lenses are dirty and need cleaning, even if this is not the case.

Cataracts are rarely painful and do not make your eyes red or irritated.

Detection of age-related cataracts:

Our ophthalmologists at Oculus Eye Clinics will perform a series of eye examinations, including a visual acuity test, which measures your vision at different distances.

You will also have a biomicroscopic lens examination to diagnose and stage your cataract.

You will also benefit from a fundus examination with pupil dilation to determine whether you have any other eye diseases requiring treatment and/or diminishing the prognosis for sight recovery after cataract surgery.

Treating age-related cataracts:

Incipient cataracts that do not cause symptoms and do not affect the patient’s quality of life require simple monitoring by the ophthalmologist.

But cataracts that worsen over time, or cataracts that cause symptoms that interfere with daily life, require surgery to remove the affected lens and replace it with an artificial lens tailored to your eye.

Surgery is the only treatment proven effective for cataracts.

Find out more about cataract surgery

Cataracts and driving:

Sight is the driver’s main source of information. A visual deficit can therefore have serious consequences, endangering the driver and/or another road user.

In Switzerland, an examination of the main visual functions is an essential part of the periodic assessment of fitness to drive for professional drivers, and for all road users aged 75 and over.

Cataracts are one of the main eye diseases affecting the population from the age of 50 onwards, and in the event of glare affecting night-time driving, or even a decline in vision, surgical treatment is essential to preserve driving ability.

It’s not entirely clear why we all develop cataracts as we age, but certain things can increase your risk of cataracts, including:

• • Diabetes.

• • Eye injury.

• • Long-term use of cortisone.

• • High myopia.

Cataracts treatment:

Although there is no such thing as zero risk, modern cataract surgery has a high success rate, restoring vision within a few days. Nowadays, cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure, using state-of-the-art equipment including ophthalmic lasers. This enables smaller incisions, unprecedented precision and surgery without needles or stitches.

Short-acting sedation and eye drop anesthesia are usually all that’s needed to keep the patient comfortable and pain-free during surgery. The procedure takes between 15 and 30 minutes, and most patients are back to their normal activities by the following day.

All cataract surgeries scheduled at Oculus Eye Clinics are performed at Clinique Moléson. This outpatient clinic has the best equipment and ophthalmic lasers that can be used to ensure the best conditions for your cataract surgery.

Clinique Moléson works with experienced ophthalmic surgeons performing several hundreds cataracts surgeries a year. The clinic has been designed exclusively for outpatient surgery.