Cataracts - in younger person

bouicca21

I am rather more struck with Money's insistence on being late middle aged than anything else in this thread. Vanity means that I won't admit to being elderly but I don't think I could claim to be late middle aged and keep a straight face.

peachyprice

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I would say both my friend and I were under the impression that only the elderly got cataracts - ie people in their 80s for instance.

At the earliest the young elderly (actual fact young elderly - ie in their 70s) - not clinical definition young elderly (ie that is apparently in late middle age as we are).

I've not come across anyone, to my knowledge, with cataracts under 70 before now - hence "younger person".

As stated, my friend isnt a "fighter" by nature - and so I expect she'll go for what the NHS wants her to go for - ie local anaesthetic. This is an "attraction of opposites" friendship LOL.

My mum has her done earlier this year, one in January the other in March, she's 73 now and has had them probably for about 5 years, that seems to be average in her friendship group. My mother-in-law has hers done about 2 years ago, she would have been 68 at the time. I really don't think mid-late 60's would be considered a 'younger person' to have cataracts.

moneyistooshorttomention

Oh well - looks like they can turn up as a "norm" from mid-60s onward then. I don't think either of us have come across anyone of working age (ie up to 65) with them before - I certainly havent. Hence the astonishment that someone who isnt elderly yet can get them.

Now we know - ie it's not just something elderly people get.

bubbs

Just reading this, 3 yrs ago my husband aged 49 had both his eyes done, he has always worn glasses and had poor sight, ALWAYS goes to the opticians every 18 mths-2yrs .
This particular appointment he was in there ages , then when he came out he said he had cataracts and had a letter for the doctors the optician had said to him what about your cataracts ? His reply was what cataracts ?There had been no sign of them last eye test
He had said his eyes were worse, also we were also disagreeing on colours, this a a sign of cataracts .
Anyway got an appointment at the doctors, then it moved really quickly, April was oopticians, May was at the hospital, June his right eye was done, Sept his left eye was done, his sight is brilliant now has to wear glasses for tv not close up.
Cant thank the NHS enough:T:T:T

pollypenny

I'm concerned about macular degeneration, which father and aunt had/ have and grandfather probably had. I now take a Lutein supplement.

However, I was shocked to hear the optometrist say I have a tiny cataract in my right eye. Not likely to be a problem for about 15 years, apparently.

moneyistooshorttomention

pollypenny wrote: »

I'm concerned about macular degeneration, which father and aunt had/ have and grandfather probably had. I now take a Lutein supplement.

However, I was shocked to hear the optometrist say I have a tiny cataract in my right eye. Not likely to be a problem for about 15 years, apparently.

If you don't mind my asking - how old are you Polly?

I'm guessing you're about in our agegroup? - as I'm gathering (from comments here) that the fast-growing ones are in the young agegroup. It looks like ones in my agegroup and the elderly agegroup are slow-growing.

Is 15 years about the length of time they take from starting to "problem status" for people in their 60s or the elderly agegroup?

pollypenny

Just turned 70, money. And very fit and healthy.

I'm a big reader; my life would not be worth living if I couldn't read. I wear reactolite lenses in my glasses, so I'm always protected against strong sun, which can be worse in the winter as its low and in the eyes. I think the previous generations would wear sun glasses rarely. I'm hoping this was a factor.

moneyistooshorttomention

I know what you mean about reading and it's become all the more important to me personally now I no longer live in a city. One has to be more "self sufficient" in other ways (quite apart from foodgrowing etc "Tom and Barbara Good" stuff) if living in a more country-ish type location (particularly one where some social events are inaccessible for some reason - as here). My friend is also a big reader and the same range of social events are inaccessible to her for the same reason.

I do think sunglasses wearing helps. Yep...yesterday my friend duly got quizzed as to just how much she wears them:rotfl:

No point in trying to get her to eat more healthily - I'd be wasting my breath....

I've established she has mentioned she needs to be able to see well enough to drive to try and hurry treatment up. I'm guessing that that does hurry things up because some people will continue to drive regardless of their health - with the attendant risk of rather a lot more cost to the NHS (ie from accidents). Though my friend is someone who self-censors and won't drive in circumstances she feels unhappy about - and I expect she's been assessed as "second in line - after those that would keep driving regardless of whether they should or shouldnt" iyswim. (Hastens to add people should be responsible and not drive if their health isnt up to it - even in these circumstances of "not their fault they're having to wait").

Does wonder how people who cant say "I'm a driver" manage to hurry things up....:cool:

peachyprice

bubbs wrote: »

also we were also disagreeing on colours, this a a sign of cataracts .

After my Mum had her first eye done she was amazed that everyone in the street didn't in fact have the same colour car and after the second one she had to throw out most of her lipsticks :rotfl::rotfl:

She said it was amazing to see the world in glorious technicolor again, she hadn't realised just how dull everything had become over a period of time.

borkid

I had a congenital cataract in my left eye, I needed glasses for both left and right eyes. At the time they didn't operate as I was coping, basically I didn't know any different. At 65 I was starting to have problems from glare when driving and the optician discovered another cataract in the left eye. I had the choice to wait or have the operation. I'd need new glasses anyway so went ahead and had the operation. Life changing for me. Although nervous the op was very straightforward and really I shouldn't have worried. In the hospital at 8am and out by 11am and there were 3 others ahead of me. The actual op took about 15 minutes.