A cataract is a clouding or opacity of the lens inside the eye. It causes gradual blurring of vision and often glare.

Inside your eye, behind the iris and pupil is a lens. In a normal eye, this lens is clear. It helps focus light rays onto the back of the eye (the retina), which sends messages to the brain allowing us to see.

When cataract develops, the lens becomes cloudy and prevents the light rays from passing on to the retina. The picture that the retina receives becomes dull and fuzzy.

Cataract usually forms slowly and most people experience a gradual blurring of vision.

A transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or ‘mini-stroke’ is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain.

The disruption in blood supply results in a lack of oxygen to the brain.

This can cause sudden symptoms similar to a stroke, such as speech and visual disturbance, and numbness or weakness in the face, arms and legs.

But a TIA does not last as long as a stroke. The effects last a few minutes to a few hours and fully resolve within 24 hours.

Winter can be tough on the eyes and taking good care of your eyes during the colder months can help prevent irritation and other problems.

During the winter months, you may notice you need to wear your glasses more, especially as you get older. This is because when there is less light available, your pupil expands which reduces the eye's depth of focus and means that you notice blurriness. Make sure you have good lighting, for example, a lamp near the chair where you sit to read, and that you turn it on as soon as it is getting dark.

What are soft contact lenses? Soft contact lenses are made of a sponge-like material. They absorb water and most soft lenses have a water content of over 50%. This is not pure water but must match the salt concentration of your tears. Sponges are excellent for growing bacteria, which can cause infection, so it is vital that you clean the lenses carefully and disinfect them to reduce the risk of harming your eyes. If you wear daily disposable contact lenses you should never reuse them.

Probably the most common question I have in clinic is about floaters in the vision. But what exactly are they? I thought I’d write about this in the blog this month as last week I had a sudden new very large floater and it needed assessment.
More about that later…

Many women experience a range of mental and physical symptoms as they transition through the menopause. These commonly include: hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping, problems with memory & concentration and low libido. But, did you know that fluctuations in your hormones during the menopause can also have a significant impact on your eye health?

Some people express concern about the appearance of the eyes. One question is often about the greyish or white ring around the edge of the cornea (the front surface of the eye).

With the recent good weather, I have seen an increase in patients reporting light sensitivity in clinic. This is termed photophobia. You may experience a sensitivity to very bright light, such as sunlight, or low light, such as incandescent lighting. Depending on the severity of your sensitivity, you can have a little discomfort or experience unpleasant eye pain.

You might have experienced it yourself; your arms are not long enough and you can’t read a book or text on your tablet or phone as easily as before. Starting at about the age of 40, your eyesight starts changing. It is called presbyopia. This is what happens.