Cataracts are a common condition in adults.  It’s possible to say that all of us would develop cataracts if we live long enough!  When do cataracts start?  The preliminary symptoms can appear as early as age 40 (yes, forty!) but it can take up to 30 years until the cataract can develop to the point where a doctor will recommend an operation.

The average age in which cataracts become so developed as to require surgery is between 65 and 80 years.  The question is asked, what if the cataract only becomes bad enough to require surgery in a person at age 90—is it still possible to have surgery at age 90?  What about age 100? 

My answer in these cases is that with respect to the eye, there is no reason not to have the operation, even at an advanced age, provided the patient is mobile enough to come to the hospital (with escort, of course), have the operation, and be present for the postoperative review.  One argument is that it is not worthwhile to perform the operation because the patient is not in optimum condition because of his/her advanced age.  However, my answer is that since these patients tend to spend most of their time reading, watching television, and spending time with family and friends, and their lives are enriched by better vision.

If you have a close family member who once was quite active, inquisitive and connected with the world, who now says “there is nothing worth reading in the newspaper, and nothing worth watching on television” you should ask yourself two questions:  First is it possible that this person has been having vision trouble and that this is his way of concealing this from himself and people around him?  Eye injury and gradual loss of vision as a result of cataracts are the most common causes of vision loss in aging adults.  And second, it is advisable to confirm that the person is not suffering from depression, which is frequent in older adults.  Both cataracts and depression are relatively easy to treat, and most patients experience a significant improvement in their quality of life.

The cataract operation is a fairly simple procedure these days.  A small cut is made, the cataract located and removed, and a transparent lens inserted, completely clearing the vision.  This technique has been refined in past years, and now it is possible to treat a number of eye diseases at the same time using the skills of different ophthalmologists in the same operation (for example, corneal turbidity, glaucoma, cataract and detached retina. 

In summary, there are a number of diseases of the eye that affect adults that can damage the vision to the point of their losing the ability to read after the age of 65.  Today it is possible to offer an array of treatments to these people, in order to make significant improvements in their vision and their quality of life.  As people are living longer and longer, why not?

Written by Dr. Eytan Blumenthal, Ophthalmology Department