Cataracts And Your Vision

Helping You See Clearly at Every Age - Trusted Eye Care in Pakuranga

At Lowes Taaffe & Bhikoo Optometrists, we understand how important your vision is to living an active and independent life. Cataracts are one of the most common age-related vision issues, but with early detection, expert monitoring, and the right support, they don’t need to hold you back.

Whether you're starting to notice changes in your vision or you've already been diagnosed with cataracts, our experienced team is here to guide you with care, knowledge, and reassurance every step of the way.

What are Cataracts?

Cataracts are a natural part of the ageing process - almost everyone develops them over time. For some, they appear earlier; for others, it can happen later. Cataract is when the clear crystalline lens in our eye becomes cloudy or yellowed, so the images we see through it are no longer as sharp as we have seen before. Things begin to look blurry, foggy, or dim. You may also notice increased sensitivity to light or glare, especially at night.

While cataracts are most often caused by the natural ageing process, they can also develop from eye injuries, long-term use of certain medications, or health conditions such as diabetes.

How Do Cataracts Affect Our Vision?

As the lens becomes cloudier and more uneven, our visision gradually becomes less sharp, more sensitive to glare or bright lights, poor vision in low-light conditions. This is because the cataract reduces the amount of light entering the eye and scatters it, decreasing contrast and clarity.

Common symptoms of cataracts include:

Cloudy, blurry, or dim vision
Trouble seeing at night or in low night
Increased sensitivity to light and glare
Seeing halos around lights
Frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescriptions
Fading or yellowing of colours

Can Cataracts Be Reversed or Treated?

No, cataracts cannot be reversed or treated with medication. However, cataract surgery is a safe and effective procedure that replaces the cloudy lens with a clear synthetic one -- restoring clearer vision and improving quality of life.

Do I Need Surgery Right Away?

Not necessarily. Cataracts is a slow growing condition, similar to grey hair or wrinkles -- and may not affect your vision in the early stages. In the early stages, cataracts may change your prescription, often updated glasses can improve vision. However, glasses can only help to improve our vision to a certain point, where no matter how high of a prescription can no longer help improve our vision or makes minimal improvement on vision, this is usually when we will recommend for cataract surgery. There are some people who's cataract never grow to the stage where surgery is needed.

Surgery is typically recommended when:

Your vision affects daily activities (like driving or reading, especially when it get closer to the legal driving standard)
Glasses no longer improve your sight adequately
You're experiencing glare or discomfort that limits your lifestyle.

Everyone's visual needs are different, so timing is based on your individual symptom and lifestyle, our experienced optometrist can discuss with you the pros and cons, and lead you the way through every step in the process.

We recommend to have your eyes tested at least every two yearly, no only to check for prescription change, but also to monitor for any health change.

How Do I Know If I Need Surgery? What are the process?

It all starts with a thorough eye exam:

Eye exam - Our optometrists will assess your vision, compare it to previous results, and determine the extent of the cataract.
Discussion - Our optometrists will explain the findings, answer your questions, and discuss whether surgery is the right next step.
Referral - If needed, our optometrist will arrange a referral to a cataract surgeon (ophthalmologist), either through the public system or private provider, depending on your preference.

After surgery, your ophthalmologist will discharge you back to your optometrist for on going eye health checks.

Cataract surgery is a straightforward and highly successful procedure. An eye surgeon makes a small incision to remove the cloudy natural lens and replaces it with a clear synthetic lens (intraocular lens or IOL). This new lens restores focus, brightness, and clarity to our vision.

What If I'm Not Ready For Surgery Yet?

That is absolutely okay. If you choose to delay surgery, whether it's because you are not ready yet or just have too much on your plate, we'll continue to monitor your cataracts and overall eye health -- usually every 12 months or sooner if there is any vision change.

Thanks to our advanced Eidon Widefield Retinal Imaging technology, we are able to see the back of the eye much clear through the cataract lens than before.

Book Your Cataract Assessment Today

Cataracts don't have to hold you back from enjoying life. Whether it's your first visit or a routine check-up, our friendly optometrists in Pakuranga are here to help you see clearly -- now and into the future.

Call us today on 09-576 4769 to book an eye exam or

Book Online to get started on your journey to better vision.