Cataract Awareness Month: Brightening Lives for Patients
During my time as an optometrist, I saw many patients with varying stages of cataracts. It’s one of those inevitable parts of life — you can’t escape death, taxes, or cataracts. As patients age, cataracts become a common issue, and once they reach a certain point, their vision deteriorates. Unfortunately, glasses and contact lenses can’t help, and surgery becomes the only effective treatment.
Globally, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that this issue is particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries where access to surgery is limited. Even in high-income countries with excellent healthcare systems, patients can experience significant delays in surgery due to other health issues, which severely impacts their independence and quality of life. Studies have shown that cataract patients face a higher risk of shortened life expectancy and greater incidences of hip fractures due to falls caused by impaired vision.
Studies have shown that cataract patients face a higher risk of shortened life expectancy and greater incidences of hip fractures due to falls caused by impaired vision.
The Economic Toll of Cataracts
Charity organisations such as VisionSpring are doing incredible work by partnering with others to make cataract surgery more accessible worldwide. Vision loss due to cataracts can have devastating impacts on those living on daily wages. Countless stories of those returning from service trips abroad told similar stories: such as tailors or brick layers, who could no longer do their jobs well and therefore suffered financial insecurities as a result.
Shaping the Future of Vision Care
Cataracts are a major global health issue with serious economic implications. By improving access to treatment and investing in innovative solutions, we can reduce cataract-related blindness and the associated economic burden. Health organisations have a unique chance to positively impact millions of lives. At Ufonia we use #ArtificialClinicalIntelligence to help automate the care of cataract patients. By tackling the cataract crisis head-on and collaborating with forward-thinking partners, we’re not just improving individual health outcomes — we’re also building a more productive and economically stable society.
