May
18
2010
I have a cataract in my right eye?
Posted by: in cataract treatment, tags: Cataract, Right
If i just leave it there and don’t get it surgically removed will I go blind and die?
Entries (RSS)
May 18th, 2010 at 11:38 am
You wont die but you WILL loose your eye if you don’t remove it.
May 18th, 2010 at 11:43 am
listen to your doctor
May 18th, 2010 at 11:58 am
You do not need to have a cataract removed. People choose to have them removed for convenience purposes or for the fact that they intervene with their daily life activities. I do not understand why you would not get the cataract removed, it would generally be assusmed that you would want to see. The surgery is usually a very flexible thing to schedule seeing as it is not life threatening, so you would not have to inconvenience yourself to have it removed.
May 18th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
My grandmother lived with her cataract for years before she had surgery and she didn’t go blind.
May 18th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
When it is ripe you must have it off .
May 18th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Well, we all die eventually…
… but your cataract is not going to be responsible, except in the case of somewhat increasing your risk of a road-traffic accident, due to slightly restricted field of view.
If the eye has had good vision in the past, and you are at least well into your teenage years, the potential vision of the retina behind the cataract will be unaffected over time, so there is no rush to have the cataract removed on that count. A developing cataract is likely, eventually, to lead to a white pupil which may be cosmetically unacceptable. Most authorities would suggest surgery at this point, as a hyper-mature, “overripe” cataract can lead to glaucoma, a painful blind eye, and even loss of the eyeball. This is however very rare where intervention is undertaken in time.
The main reason *not* to have cataract surgery on an eye with the potental for good vision is the risk of binocular incompatibility: the two eyes not working together comfortable, or at all. This can especally be the case in people under 45, where the “good” eye can still change focus.
Beyond that, best advice will depend on individual history and details.
Optometrist, retired.