Knowledge about Cataracts & How to treat Cataracts
Table of Content
What is a cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window.
What is the sign of cataracts?
Cataracts usually form slowly. You may not know you have them until they start to block light. Then you might notice:
- Clouded, blurred or dim vision
- Increasing difficulty with vision at night
- Sensitivity to light and glare
- Need for brighter light for reading and other activities
- Seeing “halos” around lights
- Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription
- Fading or yellowing of colors
- Double vision in a single eye
Are you at risk for cataracts?
Your risk for cataracts goes up as you get older. Certain behaviors can put you at a higher risk for getting a cataract. These include:
- Increasing age
- Diabetes
- Excessive exposure to sunlight
- Smoking
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Previous eye injury or inflammation
- Previous eye surgery
- Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
How can you prevent cataracts?
- Have regular eye examinations. Eye examinations can help detect cataracts and other eye problems at their earliest stages.
- Quit smoking. If you quit smoking, it may help prevent cataracts, even if you’ve smoked a lot of cigarettes over a long period of time. Ask your doctor for suggestions about how to quit smoking. Medications, counseling and other strategies are available to help you.
- Eat healthy. Adding a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet ensures that you’re getting lots of vitamins and nutrients. Fruits and vegetables have many antioxidants, which help maintain your eyes’ health.
- Wear sunglasses. Ultraviolet light from the sun may contribute to the development of cataracts. Wear sunglasses that block ultraviolet B (UVB) rays when you’re outdoors.
- Reduce alcohol use. Excessive alcohol use can increase the risk of cataracts.
Are there different types of cataracts?
There are three primary types of cataracts:
- Cataracts affecting the center of the lens (nuclear cataracts). A nuclear cataract may at first cause more nearsightedness or even a temporary improvement in your reading vision. But with time, the lens gradually turns more densely yellow and further clouds your vision. As the cataract slowly progresses, the lens may even turn brown. Advanced yellowing or browning of the lens can lead to difficulty distinguishing between shades of color.
- Cataracts that affect the back of the lens (posterior subcapsular cataracts). A posterior subcapsular cataract starts as a small, opaque area that usually forms near the back of the lens, right in the path of light. A posterior subcapsular cataract often interferes with your reading vision, reduces your vision in bright light, and causes glare or halos around lights at night. These types of cataracts tend to progress faster than other types do.
- Cataracts that affect the edges of the lens (cortical cataracts). A cortical cataract begins as whitish, wedge-shaped opacities or streaks on the outer edge of the lens cortex. As it slowly progresses, the streaks extend to the center and interfere with light passing through the center of the lens.
