Cataract

What is a cataract?

Inside our eye, we have a natural lens – the lens, which refracts light rays. The lens should be clear. But if you have a cataract, the lens becomes cloudy, as if you are looking through dirty or fogged glass, and everything becomes blurry and less colourful.

What are the symptoms of a cataract?

A cataract can be accompanied by the following vision changes, namely:

• Blurry vision
• Seeing double (when you see double images, instead of one)
• Being extra sensitive to light
• Poor vision at dusk, or needing more light, when reading
• Bright colours are perceived as faded or yellow

What causes cataracts?

The main cause of cataracts is eye changes which happen after the age of 40. During this period, proteins of the lens begin to break down, with the lens getting cloudy. People over the age of 60 start having some clouding of the lenses, but visual problems may happen even later.
Other causes of cataracts:

• Hereditary background
• Diabetes
• Eye injuries, eye surgery, and upper body radiation therapy
• Prolonged sunlight exposure, especially without sunglasses which protect the eyes from ultraviolet rays
• GCC and some other medications can lead to the early formation of cataracts
• One can distinguish congenital cataracts and cataracts which develop as a result of metabolic diseases.

Usually, age-related cataracts develop gradually. Other forms of cataracts develop more rapidly, in particular against the background of diabetes mellitus and in young people. It is impossible to predict how fast a cataract will develop.

It is not always possible to slow down the development of cataracts.

The most important thing is to protect the eyes from sunlight. Wear UV-resistant sunglasses. You can also wear regular eyeglasses with a clear anti-UV coating. To learn more, talk to your ophthalmologist.

How is a cataract treated?

A cataract can only be removed surgically.

What is cataract surgery?

During cataract surgery, the eye surgeon will remove your cloudy natural lens and replace it with an artificial one – the so-called an intraocular lens. Your doctor will talk with you about intraocular lenses and how they work.
Vision may become blurry again several years after the cataract surgery. This is usually caused by clouding of the eye capsule which holds the IOL in place. The ophthalmologist can then make an incision in the cloudy capsule with a laser and restore clear vision. This procedure is called laser capsulotomy, and the disease – a secondary cataract.

Cataracts are very common for vision loss, but they can be treated. Describe your symptoms to an ophthalmologist, and together you can decide whether you are ready for cataract surgery.

Summery

A cataract is a clouding of the naturally clear lens of the eye. Gradually, the image of objects around becomes blurred. The only way to treat cataracts is surgery, when the cloudy lens is replaced with an artificial one.

You may not have a cataract surgery, if the symptoms are not too bad. You should consider surgery if a cataract keeps you from doing your daily activities.

To slow the development of cataracts, you should protect your eyes from the sunlight.

You should regularly visit an ophthalmologist to check for eye and vision changes.

If you have any questions about eyes or vision, be sure to see an ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologist will make every effort to preserve or recover your vision.