Dr. Mohamed Khedr

A cataract is a gradual clouding of the eye’s lens. Signs include blurred vision, glare from bright light and car headlights at night, difficulty reading and driving, and frequent changes in your glasses prescription.

No medication removes the clouding. Treatment is surgical: the clouded lens is removed and an artificial lens is implanted. The doctor decides when to operate after an examination, based on how much the loss of vision affects your daily life. The type of lens (standard, premium or multifocal) is chosen according to your eye and your needs.

Not everyone is suitable for laser correction. Before deciding, you need a full assessment that includes the stability of your prescription, the thickness and shape of the cornea (mapped by a scanner), dry eye, and the health of the retina.

The results determine the most suitable technique: Femto-SMILE, Femto-LASIK, surface PRK or Trans-PRK. In some cases of high myopia or thin corneas, an ICL lens implant may be a suitable alternative. The decision depends on the examination, not on preference alone.

Squint is when one eye turns away from the direction of the other. In children, leaving it untreated can lead to lazy eye, because the brain ignores the image from the misaligned eye. The earlier the examination, the better the chance of improving vision. If you notice that your child’s eye is constantly misaligned after the first few months of life, see a doctor.

Treatment depends on the case: glasses, treatment of lazy eye, or surgery to adjust the eye muscles. Squint surgery also helps adults, improving eye alignment and, in some cases, treating double vision.

Glaucoma often causes no symptoms in its early stages, and patients gradually lose side vision without noticing. Damage to the optic nerve cannot be reversed, so early detection is the first line of defence.

Regular check-ups are recommended for people with a family history of the disease, people over 40, and people with diabetes. The examination includes measuring eye pressure and examining the optic nerve and visual field. Treatment is with eye drops, laser or surgery, depending on the case.