CATARACT
Cataract is a clouding of the normally clear natural lens of your eye, which blocks or scatters light and causes blurry or dim vision.
Symptoms•
Clouded, blurred, or dim vision•
Fading or yellowing of colors•
Glare, halos, or starbursts around lights at night•
Trouble seeing at night or in bright sunlight.
Symptoms•
Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions
• Double vision in a single eye
Common Causes & Risk Factors•
Aging:
The most frequent cause; proteins and fibers in the lens break down and clump together over time.•
Medical conditions:
Diabetes or other systemic disorders.•
Eye trauma or injury:
Past eye surgeries or physical damage to the eye.•
Medications:
Long-term use of steroid medicines.•
Lifestyle and environment: Smoking and excessive ultraviolet (UV) light exposure.•
Genetics:
Inherited conditions or developmental variants.
Types of Cataracts•
Nuclear cataracts:
Form in the center (nucleus) of the lens and often cause distance vision to blur while sometimes temporarily improving near vision.•
Cortical cataracts:
Form in the outer cortex of the lens and create wedges or spokes that cause glare and light streaks.•
Posterior subcapsular cataracts:
Form on the back surface of the lens underneath the capsule, typically developing faster and affecting reading vision.•
Congenital or childhood cataracts:
Present at birth or developed during childhood due to genetics or infections.
Treatment and Management•
Early stages:
Can be managed with updated eyeglass prescriptions, stronger lighting, or anti-glare lenses as recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.•
Surgery:
When vision loss interferes with daily activities like driving or reading, safe and routine Cataract Surgery replaces the cloudy natural lens with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL).
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