Surgery helps cataract sufferer see without glasses

When Sheila Bartlett was diagnosed with TB, her world fell apart as she faced a hospital stay and months of treatment.

Among various symptoms, the 71-year-old from Maidenhead also noticed deterioration in her eye sight. But following a recent cataract operation, Sheila said her sight is now ‘better than ever’.

She said: “While I am retired my life is so busy, with 14 grandchildren to enjoy. 

"I also care for my sister and enjoy golf and weekends away, so my eye sight is really important.  I was on so many tablets for the TB and certain ones affected my eyes, and a recent eye test also revealed I had a cataract.

The mum-of-five had an operation to treat a cataract in her left eye in October 2012 which left her sight unbalanced in her right eye and caused her difficulty when driving.

She was told two months later that she had also developed a cataract in her right eye. She went to see ophthalmic surgeon Mr Sundeep Kheterpal at The Windsor Eye Clinic, which is part of Maidenhead’s The Bridge Clinic on Bridge Road.

Within a week of being diagnosed, Sheila had the cataract removed and also underwent a procedure to have a permanent lens replacement, Clarivu, which means she also now has corrected vision.

Sheila, who has worn glasses for three decades, said: “It is wonderful to just be able to get on with life now, without glasses.

"And to enjoy choosing sunglasses, not having to wear prescription ones. And golf is easier as I can see further away. I have not really got used to myself without glasses, though others say I look better.”

Mr Sundeep Kheterpal, ophthalmic surgeon for Optegra specialist eye hospital group - which has six UK hospitals including Guildford and London - said: “As the population gets older, we are seeing more and more people with cataracts and studies have shown that around one in three people aged 65 years or over will have visually impairing cataract in one or both eyes.

"The good news is that the cataract procedure is one of the most common elective surgical procedures in the UK, and so the problem can be resolved.

“And at Optegra we can offer a wonderful ‘upgrade’ for those people who not only want to be free of cataracts, but also want to be free of glasses and contact lenses. 

"In a cataract procedure we remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial, clear one. And with Clarivu, a sophisticated development of cataract surgery, we can tailor that new lens to correct the patient’s long or short sightedness – so they may then be free from glasses. It’s an increasingly popular form of vision correction and ideal for people aged over 50.”

Optegra, an eye care hospital group, recently started a new partnership with the long established Windsor Eye Clinic at the Bridge Clinic in Maidenhead to launch the Optegra Maidenhead service.

The new clinic runs fortnightly on Wednesday mornings between 9:00am am and 1:00pm, with further dates and times being offered in the near future.

Appointments can be booked by calling Optegra on 0800 368 4848 or by calling the Windsor Eye Clinic on 0845 8622299.