Eye Care
Cataract Care
Age-related clouding of the lens — seamless evaluation and surgical planning for clear vision.
Cataract — a clouding of the eye's natural lens — is the leading cause of reversible blindness globally and the most common reason for vision impairment in adults over 50 in India. The reassuring news is that modern cataract surgery is one of the safest and most successful operations in medicine. At Zala Clinic, Dr. Mala R. Zala provides expert evaluation, pre-operative assessment, surgical planning, and post-operative care to restore clear, comfortable vision.
Understanding Cataracts
The lens inside the eye is normally transparent. With age, proteins within the lens clump together and cloud vision. Cataracts can also develop from:
- Ageing — the most common cause; affects most people over 60 to some degree
- Diabetes — metabolic cataracts may develop earlier and progress faster
- Prolonged steroid use — both systemic and topical
- Trauma — injury to the eye can accelerate or directly cause lens opacification
- UV radiation exposure — occupational or unprotected outdoor exposure over many years
- Congenital — present at birth; requires urgent intervention to prevent amblyopia in infants
Symptoms to Watch For
Cataracts develop gradually. Common signs include:
- Increasing difficulty reading fine print or with near tasks despite glasses
- Glare and halos around lights, especially difficulty driving at night
- Colours appearing faded or yellowed
- Frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescription
- A 'film' or 'fog' over vision that cannot be wiped away
- Double or 'ghost' vision in one eye
Our Evaluation Process
Before recommending surgery, Dr. Mala performs a thorough evaluation:
- Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement
- Slit-lamp examination with grading of nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular opacity
- Dilated fundus examination to assess retinal and optic nerve health
- Biometry (IOL-Master or ultrasound A-scan) for accurate intraocular lens power calculation
- Corneal topography where astigmatism correction is planned
- Endothelial cell count when corneal compromise is suspected
When to Consider Surgery
Surgery is indicated when cataracts interfere with daily activities — reading, driving, watching television, or work. Dr. Mala takes a conservative, individualised approach; she will not recommend surgery unless the clinical and functional evidence supports it. When surgery is indicated, she provides detailed referral documentation to skilled cataract surgeons and continues post-operative follow-up care at Zala Clinic to ensure optimal recovery and spectacle prescription.
Dr. Mala R. Zala
MBBS, MS · Ophthalmologist