West Midlands musician tells of ‘incredible’ cataract surgery in his 50s – unaware his diabetes diagnosis DOUBLED his risk of the sight-stealing condition

For most people, cataracts are something they may expect to happen later in life – after all, the average age cataract surgery is carried out in the UK is 76.

But as 54-year-old Rob Fellows recently discovered, that isn’t necessarily the case, and his diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes significantly increased the risk of him developing the condition.

Rob, a professional musician and music teacher from Stourbridge in Birmingham, had known he had cataracts for years – and had even sought help – only to be told he was too young, and they weren’t bad enough yet.

It was only after the father-of-two was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes – and his optician warned his vision was now borderline for driving – that he found himself on the road to finally getting them treated.

Rob had no idea that diabetes can make you twice as likely to get cataracts, or that people with diabetes are also more likely to develop the condition at an earlier age.

As a professional musician – he’s lead guitarist in Cliff Richard and the Shadows tribute band Into the Shadows – and music teacher, reading music is a big part of Rob’s life. His day job for the local music service in Birmingham requires travel between schools in the West Midlands, which means driving for work and his gigs is essential.

He explains: “I was feeling very tired during the day. I had blood tests, and the doctor told me I was a Type 2 diabetic, and that this could possibly be why I had cataracts.

“He sent me for a diabetic eye screening test, and they recommended I get an eye test with my local optician too. He stopped the eye test halfway through and told me that my cataracts were bad and needed addressing, and that’s when I was informed that my vision was borderline for driving, which was scary.”

In England, NHS patients can choose which provider they have cataract surgery with and Rob decided to have his treatment at the SpaMedica hospital in Wolverhampton.

He was treated without delay, and while he was naturally a bit apprehensive beforehand, Rob says he felt quite emotional because he knew it would have a massive impact on his quality of life.

He adds: “The surgery was painless. I felt a little bit of pressure, but apart from that it was an absolute breeze. I had a separate appointment for each eye and the surgery only took around 20 minutes – and it completely changed my life. The team at SpaMedica Wolverhampton were friendly and helpful. I’m sure they would put anyone’s mind completely at rest.”

Dr Alex Silvester is Chief Medical Officer at SpaMedica, one of the UK’s leading providers of NHS cataract surgery. He says: “Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable sight loss in the UK[1], and 1 in 5 of the patients we treat across our 50+ hospitals have the condition.

“While it’s worrying that diabetes increases the risk of developing cataracts and doing so earlier in life, there are ways to help manage this risk by monitoring blood sugar levels carefully. Research has shown that people with type 2 diabetes who lower their HbA1c level by just 1% can reduce their risk of cataracts by 19%.”

Diabetes UK’s data shows that the number of people living with diabetes is rising, topping five million for the first time in 2023 – 90% have Type 2 diabetes, with another 2.4 million people at high risk of developing the condition. According to the latest National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) audit, released in May 2024, in England more than 29,000 patients, like Rob, were recorded as having diabetes at the time of their first cataract surgery.

Rob’s advice to others diagnosed with cataracts is to get them treated as soon as possible, saying: “The difference it makes is quite incredible. It almost surpasses your expectations at times. With the cataracts I found it nearly impossible to see what I was doing sometimes, and the glare from lights when I was driving was just horrific. And I used to suffer from migraines, but they’ve gone now. It’s been life changing.”

Dr Silvester concludes: “It’s important that people with diabetes attend their regular diabetic eye screenings – and get regular eye tests – to reduce their risk of vision-related complications. Most of the eye problems caused by diabetes can be treated, but it is vital that these problems are picked up as soon as possible, as treatment is more effective when given early.”

[1] Diabetes UK: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/retinopathy