Cataracts: What you should know
This booklet is for people with cataract and their families and friends. It provides information about age-related cataract, the most common form of cataract. This booklet answers questions about the causes and symptoms of the disorder and discusses diagnosis and types of treatment.
Read this booklet online, or download it, by following the links below. Cataracts: What you should know is available as a PDF, a DAISY Digital Talking Book with narrated audio and NCC structure, or as a Microsoft Word file.
Cataracts (PDF, 302.5 kB)
Cataracts (DAISY - narrated audio with NCC
structure, .zip, 6.4 MB)
Cataracts (Word, 80.5 kB)
Contents
Who is at risk of cataracts? - 5
What are the cataract symptoms? - 5
Are there other types of cataracts? - 6
How are cataracts detected? - 7
How are cataracts treated? - 8
- Is cataract surgery effective? - 9
- Are there different types of cataract surgery? - 9
- What are the risks of cataract surgery? - 10
- What if I have other eye conditions and need cataract surgery? - 11
- What happens before surgery? - 11
- What happens during surgery? - 12
- What happens after surgery? - 12
- Can problems develop after surgery? - 13
- When will my vision be normal again? - 14
- What can I do if I already have lost some vision from cataracts? - 14
What research is being done? - 15
What can I do to protect my vision? - 15
What should I ask my eye care professional? - 16
Where can I get more information? - 18
The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) is working to reduce vision impairment and blindness through undertaking health promotion activities in partnership with other organisations. We also aim to raise awareness about preventable or treatable eye conditions. This booklet is one of five in the series of information booklets on the main preventable and manageable eye conditions: Glaucoma, Age-related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Retinitis Pigmentosa and Cataracts.
For more information about the RNZFB, contact:
Technology, Employment and Awareness Division
Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
Private Bag 99941, Newmarket, Auckland
Telephone: (09) 355 6900 or 0800 24 33 33
E-mail: cea
Website: www.rnzfb.org.nz