TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Doctors said it is not just the elderly who have cataracts, as the number of people under the age of 55 undergoing cataract surgery in Taiwan is increasing at a rate of 30% per year.
Poor vision, poor contrast, and reduced color differentiation are all telltale signs of cataracts. In its most severe form, cataracts may cause blindness, per CNA.
"My eyes seemed foggy, and I could not see clearly no matter how much I rubbed my eyes. I went to the eye doctor and finally found out that I had cataracts,” said Wang De-yuan (王德原), deputy director-general of the Food and Drug Administration. Wang described his own experience with vision loss, encouraging the public to consult with an ophthalmologist when they begin to see black spots or experience double vision.
Lu Da-wen (呂大文), director of the Ophthalmology Department of the Tri-Service General Hospital, confirmed that cataracts are more likely to occur in people over 60 years of age in the past. Health insurance regulations stipulate that cataract surgeries for those under 55 years must be pre-approved.
Lu said approximately 270,000 people in Taiwan undergo cataract surgery every year, or more than 1% of Taiwan's population. The disease is becoming more prevalent in younger people due to the widespread use of 3C products, with the National Health Promotion Administration focusing on controlling myopia in young people to reduce the early occurrence of cataracts.
People with severe myopia are inherently a high-risk group for cataracts. Other risk indicators include family history, long-term use of steroids, and diabetes. Patients who suffer eye trauma, eye inflammation, blurred vision, and reduced color sensitivity may all experience the possible side effects of cataracts.
When cataracts cause blurred vision, surgery is needed to replace the eye's intraocular lens with an artificial lens. The procedure is safe according to Yeh Shiu-huei (葉旭輝), section head, Division of Medical Devices and Cosmetics, Food and Drug Administration. Only 92 adverse reactions have been reported in the past three years, of which 35 were postoperative reactions and 57 were product-related.
