A cataract is a clouded spot in your eye’s lens, which is clear and helps to concentrate light. Cataract sufferers may compare viewing through clouded lenses to looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. It can be more challenging to read, drive a car (especially at night), or notice the expression on a friend’s face when one’s vision is clouded by cataracts.
Most cataracts grow slowly and don’t initially impair your vision. However, cataracts will eventually obstruct your vision over time.
Stronger illumination and spectacles can initially help you manage cataracts. However, if your normal activities are hampered by your poor vision, cataract surgery may be necessary. The good news is that cataract surgery is typically a risk-free, successful treatment.
Symptoms
Cataract symptoms and signs include:
- Vision that is cloudy, blurry, or dim
- Increasing nighttime vision challenges
- A sensitivity to glare and brightness
- Brighter lighting is required for activities like reading.
- “Halos” around lights being perceived
- Prescription for glasses or contacts changing frequently
- Color fading or yellowing
- Having double vision in just one eye
When a cataract first develops, it may only impact a small portion of the eye’s lens, and you might not notice any vision loss. Your lens becomes more clouded and distorted as the cataract enlarges, covering more of the lens. The symptoms might become more obvious as a result.
Causes
The majority of cataracts occur when the tissue that makes up the eye’s lens changes due to aging or trauma. The lens’s proteins and fibers start to degrade, clouding or obscuring vision.
Your risk of cataracts may be increased by some hereditary genetic abnormalities that also result in other health issues. Other eye diseases, previous eye surgery, or medical conditions like diabetes might also lead to cataracts. The long-term use of steroid medicines can also result in cataract development.
Types of cataracts include
- Cataracts (nuclear cataracts) that impair the lens’s nucleus. A nuclear cataract may initially result in increased nearsightedness or even a brief improvement in your ability to read. But as time passes, the lens gradually becomes more yellow in density, further obstructing your eyesight.
- The lens may even turn brown as the cataract gradually worsens. Advanced lens browning or yellowing might make it challenging to discern between different color tones.
- Cortical cataracts are cataracts that damage the margins of the lens. White, wedge-shaped opacities or streaks on the cortex’s outer edge are the first signs of a cortical cataract. The streaks steadily advance to the center of the lens, blocking light from entering the center of the lens as they do so.
- Posterior subcapsular cataracts are lens-back affecting cataracts. Beginning as a tiny, opaque spot, a posterior subcapsular cataract typically develops close to the back of the lens, directly in the line of sight. Reading vision is frequently affected by a posterior subcapsular cataract, as is vision in strong light, and glare or haloes surrounding lights at night. These cataracts typically advance more quickly than other forms.
- Congenital cataracts are cataracts that are present at birth. Some people either have cataracts from birth or get them as children. These cataracts may be hereditary or linked to an infection or injury within the uterus.
Risk elements
The following elements raise your chance of cataracts:
- Advancing years Diabetes
- Sun exposure that is too much
- Smoking Weight Gain
- Elevated blood pressure
- Prior eye inflammation or damage prior eye surgery
- Long-term use of corticosteroid drugs
- Exceeding the recommended alcohol limit
Prevention
There is no scientific evidence to support any methods for cataract prevention or cataract progression. However, doctors believe that a number of methods, such as:
Regularly check your eyes. Eye exams can aid in the early detection of cataracts and other eye issues. Find out from your doctor how frequently you should get your eyes checked.
Give up smoking. Ask your doctor for advice on quitting smoking. You have access to medications, therapy, and other treatment options.
Organize further medical issues. If you have diabetes or another illness that can raise your risk of cataracts, stick to your treatment plan.
Make a decision to eat a balanced diet that is high in fruits and vegetables. You can make sure you’re getting a lot of vitamins and nutrients by including a range of vibrant fruits and vegetables in your diet. Antioxidants are plentiful in fruits and vegetables, which support eye health.
Antioxidants taken as pills have not been proven to be effective in preventing . But a recent large-scale population study found a link between a nutritious diet high in vitamins and minerals and a lower chance of getting it. Fruits and vegetables are a healthy way to enhance your dietary intake of minerals and vitamins and have a number of health benefits that have been scientifically verified.
Put on your shades. Cataract development may be influenced by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When you’re outside, put on sunglasses that block ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.
Drink less alcohol. The risk of cataracts can rise with excessive alcohol consumption.
