Cataracts in Jamaica: Causes, Warning Signs and Treatment Options

June is being marked as Cataract Awareness Month, and ophthalmology resident Dr. Alicia Swaby-Spencer of Mandeville Regional Hospital is urging Jamaicans to take changes in their vision seriously. She said cataracts, unlike glaucoma, can be treated, and timely care can make a major difference to quality of life.

Swaby-Spencer explained that a cataract develops when the normally clear lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, making it harder for light to reach the retina. The result can be blurred or dim vision, similar to looking through a camera lens that has become fogged.

Ageing is a common cause, as proteins in the eye change over time. She also identified diabetes, long-term steroid use, smoking, chemicals and eye trauma as possible contributors. Children can develop cataracts after injury, she said, noting that playful incidents and objects thrown at the face can damage the eye. She cited a recent case in which a chicken bone thrown by one child struck a sibling in the eye, causing both a cut and a cataract.

Early symptoms may be easy to miss. Glare while driving, blurred sight, dark or patchy areas in the field of vision, eye strain, headache, pain around the eyes, burning and watering may all point to a problem. In advanced cases, the centre of the eye may appear white, but Swaby-Spencer said patients should seek care before it reaches that stage.

Treatment, she said, is far more straightforward than in earlier generations. Cataract surgery is usually done without putting the patient to sleep. The eye is numbed, the area is cleaned, a small opening is made where the white and dark parts of the eye meet, and the cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one. Patients generally go home the same day, with healing expected within about six weeks.

She said cataracts affect the lens, while glaucoma damages the optic nerve and can lead to permanent sight loss. Routine eye checks are recommended from around age 40, especially for people at higher risk. Screening may be done by an optometrist, with referral to an ophthalmologist when more detailed care or surgery is needed.

Swaby-Spencer also highlighted the Everyone’s a Winner 3K and 5K run, scheduled for Thursday, June 21 at Hope Gardens, starting at 6:00. Registration is by a $3,000 donation, with proceeds going to the Jamaica Society for the Blind.