Is a spoke cataract repaireable?

Hi my grandfather just got told he has a spoke cataract?  Is it possible to repair this while retaining vision?  How difficult is the surgery and how well will he see afterwards and does it last?  Thank you for any comments.

[AntonReiser]

Cataracts are very common in higher age.
As soon as his vision is impaired he should have cataract surgery.
The natural lens is removed and a plastic lens inserted.
There are lots and lots of discussions on this subject.
Please use the search function.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

spoke cataracts are a type of cortical cataracts that are part of the aging lens. Most do not require treatment until they progress to cause a lot of blurred vision. That can take 5-15 years in people.

JCH MD

[rtjrevie]

So is a spoke cataract easy to repair/remove?  How well should he be able to see after the treatment?  I know everyone is different, but just trying to get an idea what he is facing.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

a spoke cataract is removed like every other type of cataract, it's no big deal. The questions is 1. is his vision bad enough to jutify cataract surgery and is cataract the reason its poor.  2. If the answer is yes to both then he should do fine.

JCH MD

[pasadena_commut]

He should probably wait until the cataract actually begins to interfere with his vision. Especially if he is very old, where he may be in a situation analogous to "watchful waiting" for slow growing prostate tumors.   If the spoke cataract is going to take 5-15 years to affect his vision, and he is 85, well, consider the statistics.  While cataract surgery is usually no big deal, there are occasionally problems.  Conversely, nobody ever had a surgical complication from not having surgery.

That said, if and when the cataract does start to interfere with his vision, and if he lives long enough it certainly will, your grandfather should not hesitate to follow the Dr.'s advice and have the lens replaced.

[rtjrevie]

Thank you all for your responses, I appreciate it!!!!!!