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Cataract: causes, symptoms and treatment

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

The loss of sharpness in a structure just behind the eye, known as the lens, is a cataract. By default, the lens is clear, which means that light can pass through, producing correct eye vision. If the crystalline lens becomes cloudy and opaque, the light penetrates the eye more diffusely, resulting in blurred vision. The leading cause of cataracts is aging of the eye, although there may be different cases that can also generate it. The only treatment to cure Cataracts is surgery, although several medications are available that can help delay the disease. In this FastlyHealarticle we explain the causes, symptoms and treatment of cataracts.

Causes of cataracts

The eye has a lens inside it, just on the other side, known as the crystalline lens. It is similar to a small lens through which light is filtered and allows images to be perceived. As a person ages, the proteins that make up the lens begin to break down, giving it a dull appearance and blurred vision. Although aging is the leading cause of cataracts, there are other factors related to blurred vision due to the clouding of the lens. Thus, trauma, eye or body diseases – such as diabetes – and certain drugs can cause the degradation of the lens and, as a consequence, have blurred vision. In some cases, cataracts are also likely to appear congenital, that is, from birth.

Types of Cataract

The most frequent Cataract is produced by age, known as senile Cataract. However, some people can develop the disease at an earlier stage. We can see differences between different types of cataracts.

  • Secondary Cataract. It occurs as a consequence of surgical intervention, such as glaucoma.
  • Traumatic Cataract. It is caused by a blow to the eye that may have damaged the lens.
  • Congenital Cataract. These types of cataracts appear at birth or just after. Typically, vision is not affected, or if it does, it is minimally.
  • Radiation cataract . Exposing the eyes to certain types of radiation can damage the lens.

Cataract symptoms

Cataract symptoms can appear progressively. For this reason, it is common for the person to begin detecting a slight loss of visual acuity as the vision begins to be more blurred, being the first symptom that is usually seen.

  • More difficult to see on sunny days or in environments with more light, while vision seems better on cloudy days.
  • Difficulty seeing at night or in places with low light.
  • Increased sensitivity to light.
  • Double vision is known as diplopia.
  • Colors are perceived less vividly.
  • The person must change the prescription of their glasses in a short period.
  • The images are scented with a halo around the lights.

Cataract treatment

Suppose the Cataract is detected in its initial stage. In that case, the specialist will recommend some precautions that contribute to optimal conditions of the eye to avoid degradation of the lens. Some of these measures may be: changing the prescription of the glasses, using correct lighting, wearing sunglasses, and some medications or eye exercises that help delay the development of cataracts.

If the patient has a cataract that significantly affects vision, or if the Cataract has developed rapidly, the most effective treatment is surgery. It must be taken into account that the Cataract does not damage the eye, so it is only necessary to extract the lens through an incision that is invisible to the naked eye since it is done through ultrasound. An intraocular lens replaces the lens, and the wound does not require stitches since the hole is tiny.

When to go to the doctor?

First of all, it is essential to bear in mind that you should go to the ophthalmologist for an eye examination periodically to monitor the correct health of the eye and prevent problems such as cataracts. If a loss of vision is detected, no matter how slight, you should go to a specialist since acting in time can prevent a disease from developing or be able to put the means to stop its progress. Likewise, a specialist should also be visited in the event of other problems that do not have to directly imply loss of vision, such as discomfort in light, problems viewing objects with lower light, etc.

In this article, we explain the causes of tired eyesight.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Cataract: causes, symptoms and treatment , we recommend that you enter our Eyes and Vision category .

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