Understanding Mature Cataracts
For clear vision, the lens of your eye must be transparent. With mature cataracts, the lens becomes significantly cloudy, blocking light and leading to vision problems. You may experience blurry or dull vision, difficulty with contrast, and trouble with activities like reading or driving.
Signs & Symptoms
- - Vision that’s severely blurry, cloudy, or filmy
- - Colours appear faded or less vibrant
- - Significant glare from sunlight or headlights
- - Halos around lights at night
- - Frequent spectacle prescription changes
- - Trouble seeing well with glasses or contact lenses
- - Double vision in one eye
Note: These symptoms can overlap with other eye conditions. A professional eye exam is essential to confirm the cause.
What Causes Mature Cataracts?
The natural lens inside your eye is primarily composed of water and proteins, arranged in a way that ensures clarity. As we age, these proteins can break down and clump, forming cloudy areas known as cataracts. In mature cataracts, these patches become more extensive, significantly scattering light and severely impacting vision.
While some cataracts develop slowly, mature cataracts often require prompt attention. Consulting your optometrist helps determine the type and the best course of action to manage your vision.
Risk Factors
Mature cataracts, like other types, can develop due to various factors. While age-related nuclear cataracts are common, other types can result from eye injuries or are associated with conditions like diabetes. Additionally, some medications, such as corticosteroids, may accelerate cataract formation.
Other risk factors include:
- - Advancing age
- - UV radiation (sun exposure)
- - Diabetes, hypertension, obesity
- - Smoking or heavy alcohol use
- - Long-term use of steroids or statins
- - Eye injuries or previous surgery
- - Family history of cataracts
- - High myopia (severe short-sightedness)
Do Cataracts Always Need Surgery?
Yes, in most cases. With mature cataracts, vision is often significantly impaired. While better lighting, updated glasses, or anti-reflective coatings may provide temporary relief, surgery is usually the most effective solution to restore vision.
Helpful Advice
- - Have regular eye exams to monitor cataract progression
- - Improve lighting at home and work
- - Wear sunglasses with full UV protection
- - Discuss surgical options with your eye care professional.
When to Consider Surgery
Cataract removal is typically discussed when vision loss severely impacts your daily life, affecting work, hobbies, or safety (like driving). If you're unsure, your optometrist will guide you — but the final decision is always yours.
Note: Your optometrist will assess your vision and advise on the most appropriate time for surgery. Regular visits ensure timely advice.
Tips for patients considering cataract surgery
Before your cataract or refractive lens exchange surgery, ask your optometrist to guide your ophthalmologist on the most suitable intraocular lens (IOL) selection.
As a vision specialist, your optometrist knows your day-to-day visual needs, lifestyle habits (reading, driving, digital work), and previous eyewear preferences. By sharing this insight with the ophthalmologist, it helps ensure that the IOL choice aligns with your real-world expectations.
This collaboration reduces the risk of post-surgery surprises, like still needing glasses more often than expected or not achieving the clarity you hoped for.
Global Impact
Cataracts account for over 50% of global blindness, especially in areas with limited access to surgery. In developed countries, long surgical waitlists can still delay treatment — making early detection and management important.