What You Should Know About Cataracts and Cataract Surgery.
Cataracts are more common as you age. In fact, for people who are over
65, there is a 50 percent chance of developing a cataract. As you grow
older, the risk increasing significantly.
The difference between a normal lens and one with a cataract.
What Is a Cataract?
A cataract is a cloudy or opaque area in the normally transparent lens
of the eye. The cataract prevents light from passing through the lens
and focusing on the retina. At first, there may not be much visual
disturbance. As the cataract worsens, you will notice blurred vision,
sensitivity to light, problems with glare, and distorted images.
There are three types of cataracts, depending on the location on the
lens. The one most often associated with aging is the nuclear
cataract,
which occurs in the center of the lens. The others are the cortical
cataract, which is at the cortex or edge of the lens, and the
subcapsular cataract, which is under the capsule of the lens.
What Are the Symptoms of a Cataract?
Some of the symptoms of a cataract include the following:
- painless blurring or dimming of vision
- sensitivity to light or glare, especially in bright sunlight or
while
driving
- increased nearsightedness, requiring changes in your eyeglass
prescription
- distorted or ghost images
How Can a Cataract Be Treated?
A cataract may need no treatment, if it causes only a slight
blurriness.
Once a cataract
has formed, there are no medications, eyeglasses, or eye drops that
can
correct it. The only way to remove a cataract is with surgery. At this
time laser surgery will not remove a cataract. It must be done through
a
surgical procedure, in which an incision is made and the cataract
removed. The natural lens is then replaced with a permanent
intraocular
lens implant. More than 95 percent of patients who have cataract
surgery
report that their vision is improved. As with all surgery, there is a
risk of infection.
