CATARACT & DIABETES

CATARACT & DIABETES

Patient Information

Definition

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and usually affect both eyes, but it can also affect only one eye, but rarely.

Incidence

Cataracts cause half of all cases of blindness and 33% of visual impairment worldwide. Cataracts are most commonly due to aging but may also occur due to trauma or radiation exposure, be present from birth, or occur following eye surgery for other problems. 

Risk Factors

Risk factors include diabetes, smoking tobacco, prolonged exposure to sunlight, and alcohol. This means having these factors, you may get a cataract earlier. I always wear sunglasses when on the beach, but it only delays the onset of cataracts:

https://youtu.be/A6Ai5EBWIL4

In my case, I do OPGs regularly (for my dental implant surgeries) and exposure to the ionising radiation from the X-rays may also be a contributory risk factor. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panoramic_radiograph

I’ve also had laser eye surgery done previously, to correct my retinal detachment. Another risk factor.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinal_detachment

Screening

As a diabetic, you are advised to have your eyes examined at the age of 40. A general examination and screening for cataract, glaucoma and whatever else. Then, once you are registered at an Ophthalmology Department and have a file and records there, you can always go back if you start having any eye problems. In my experience, better to be registered before you need anything done or else later very troublesome, as you’ll need to secure a referral letter and whatever. When you are sick and need treatment, its so annoying to have to first do this that and whatever - it drives me crazy so better be prepared, since we are already in the diabetic high risk group.

If you are above 40, never had your eyes examined before, the next time you see your physician who treats you for your diabetes, just ask him or her to refer you to an ophthalmologist for an eye examination to screen for cataract and glaucoma. Ophthalmology departments are only found in a hospital setting. The best eye hospital/Ophthalmology department in Malaysia is at Selayang Hospital, as all the senior government specialists are based there and since its a new hospital, they have the latest equipment.

Caution

All the eye patients and friends I’ve spoken to say don’t ever go to the Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital, even though its supposed to be a specialist eye hospital. Bloody hopeless, they say. Old hospital, old equipment, old techniques, all out-dated and what not.

Cause

The underlying mechanism of cataract involves accumulation of clumps of protein or yellow-brown pigment in the lens that reduces transmission of light to the retina at the back of the eye.

Oxidation of proteins in the lens of the eyes produces this yellow-brown pigment that also causes what I see to appear yellow-brownish in colour.

Symptoms

Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble with bright lights, and trouble seeing at night. This may result in trouble driving, reading, or recognizing faces. 

In my case, when viewing black text on websites using my iPad or iPhone, the text appears gray. I also have difficulty distinguishing navy blue from black (appears black to me).

Also, reading small print is difficult and even when corrected with reading glasses, my near vision is still not perfect when reading. The blurriness, lack of contrast and greying/fading of text makes reading tedious and very tiring.

I also find trying to read messages on my iPhone first thing upon waking difficult. A little easier an hour or two after waking up.

Reference

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract

This video is by an optometrist, who are not considered doctors in Malaysia, only in the US.

https://youtu.be/eijaWi3lEF4

Copyright 2003-2019 Azlan Adnan This blog post is sponsored by The Green Party of Malaysia