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Hawn had to stop speaking while she was delivering her pre-written dialogue as she was unable to see what was on the screen (Pic: Instagram/iStock)
Hollywood actor Goldie Hawn sought help from Andrew Garfield with the Oscars autocue after she revealed she has cataracts. The 79-year-old presented two awards alongside Garfield in the 2025 ceremony underway. However, midway through their appearance on stage, Hawn had to stop speaking while she was delivering her pre-written dialogue as she was unable to see what was on the screen.
She then asked Garfield to step in to help her.
"Can you read that?" she asked the Spider-Man: No Way Home actor. "I can't read it. I'm completely blind. I am, I've got the cataracts," she explained.
What is a cataract?
Cataracts are cloudy areas that form on the lens of your eye, which is otherwise a clear, flexible structure made mostly of proteins. Doctors say as you get older, the proteins in your lens break down, forming cloudy patches that affect your vision.
Cataracts feel like you may be looking at the world through a dirty window, and over time, your vision keeps getting worse. It causes a hard time carrying out routine tasks. Doctors consider cataracts an inevitable part of ageing, and age-related cataracts are the most common form of the condition.
However, cataracts can be removed through surgery, which can restore vision.
At what age do the cataracts start?
According to doctors, the proteins in your eye’s lens start to break down around age 40 but the symptoms are not mostly noticeable until the age 60 or later. Certain medical conditions, like diabetes, can cause you to have the symptoms sooner.
Cataracts are extremely common across the world. According to the World Health Organization, about 17 per cent of people around the world have cataracts that cause problems with their vision. However, the prevalence varies widely by country and region. There’s a higher prevalence in middle-income and low-income nations where people often have more risk factors and limited access to cataract treatment.
Signs and symptoms of cataracts
A few symptoms of cataracts include:
- Cloudy, foggy, and blurry vision
- Changes in the way you see colour
- Sensitivity to bright sunlight, headlights, or lamps
- Glare, including halos or streaks that form around lights
- Difficulty seeing at night
- Changes in your vision prescription, including near-sightedness that gets worse
- Needing a brighter light to read
- Double vision
When does cataract surgery become difficult?
While modern cataract extraction is generally considered a safe surgical procedure, with very few patients experiencing adverse events or complications, some cases, however, still require careful consideration and planning. According to experts, due to many other health issues with the patients, like high blood sugar levels and high blood pressure, there is a higher risk of complications.
High blood pressure
According to experts, while high blood pressure does not affect the outcome of cataract surgery, it can certainly increase the risk of complications. Hypertension increases the risk of adverse medical events during surgery like cardiovascular and neurological events and sight-threatening bleeding.
High blood sugar levels
If you have high blood sugar levels or diabetes, the condition can make cataract surgery more difficult. It happens because high blood sugar causes changes to the eyes and affects wound healing. It can impact:
Pupil size
Diabetic patients often have small pupils, which can make surgery technically challenging.
Wound healing
High blood sugar can delay wound healing
Infection risk
High blood sugar can increase the risk of infections after surgery.
Complications
High blood sugar can lead to complications like diabetic retinopathy and macular edema.
Uveitis
According to doctors, those with uveitis, which causes inflammation in the middle layer of the eye, develop cataracts earlier than others. And so, these changes make surgery more technically challenging and more prone to post-operative complications like cystoid edema, opacification, and recurrent inflammation.
High eye pressure
Some people have ocular hypertension or high eye pressure, which can damage your vision. Swelling, bleeding, or leftover lens fragments can cause greater pressure in your eye, which can lead to glaucoma.
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