Cataract is one of the most common eye conditions which affect older adults. It can lead to blurry vision which disrupts people’s ability to see clearly.
People often neglect its treatment and leave it untreated. This can even cause them to suffer from potential blindness.
Cataract condition usually occurs at an older age and gradually clouds the natural lens. Thus, the impaired vision makes everyday tasks more challenging for the patient, leading to poor quality of life.
Modern medical advancements have made cataracts easily treatable and have often restored vision to near-normal levels in many patients.
In this article, we will learn about cataracts, their risks, symptoms, and widely available treatments. This blog is dedicated to those who suffer from such common eye problems and are looking to heal their eye conditions by choosing cataract surgeon that are best and are nearby available. Read on to learn more.
What Are Cataracts?
A cataract is a condition that develops when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. It results from clouding in the eye’s natural lens behind the iris and pupil.
The lens functions like a camera. It helps focus light onto the retina and creates clear images that we can see clearly in our daily activities.
As cataracts develop gradually with age, the lens becomes opaque. Thus, it leads to scattering of light and causes vision to become blurry or hazy.
Cataracts usually develop slowly which makes it simple to overlook its early signs. Over time, as the condition progresses, the cloudiness intensifies. This leads to more significant vision impairment. In addition, cataracts can be present in one or both eyes but do not transmit from one eye to the other.
Various Types of Cataracts
There are several types of cataracts, categorized by their location within the lens-
Nuclear cataracts
Nuclear cataracts are a type of cataract that forms in the central zone, which is in the nucleus of the eye’s lens. It forms in the center of the lens and is commonly associated with aging. The aging gradually leads the lens to harden and turn yellow or brown.
Over time, the yellow or brown tint affects color perception by distorting color vision and causes gradual blurring in the eye. This creates significant problems for people with distance vision problems.
This reduces clarity, especially in low light, and can worsen as the cataract progresses.
People with nuclear cataracts may initially experience a temporary improvement in near vision, but gradually, the cloudiness increases, leading to significant vision impairment.
Cortical Cataracts
Cortical cataracts are a type of cataract that affects the outer layer of the lens. They develop as wedge-shaped opacities that start at the edges of the lens and gradually increase towards the center.
These cataracts are formed at the periphery of the lens and progressively advance with time. This condition is often associated with aging but can also happen due to various health problems, such as diabetes, trauma, or long-term exposure to ultraviolet light.
This can scatter light which results in glare and difficulty with seeing contrast or intense light things.
Posterior Subcapsular
This is another type of cataract that occurs at the back of the lens, beneath the capsule that surrounds it. It often progresses more rapidly than other types.
This cataract creates problems with activities like reading. It also causes trouble with clear vision and glares around lights. It mainly affects people with near vision problems.
It is usually found in people who use alcohol on a daily basis and deal with inflammation problems.
Congenital cataracts
This type of cataract is a birth-related condition found at birth or shortly after. These affect individuals who are born with cataracts or develop them during childhood.
It is generally caused by genetic factors, meaning someone already carries in their lineage prenatal infections. These infections occur in the mother during pregnancy or metabolic disorders that are due to poor lifestyle.
These cataracts may also lead to contrast sensitivity and cause a white or cloudy appearance in the pupil.
Risk factors for Cataracts
Various factors contribute to an elevated risk of developing cataracts. This includes-:
Ageing
Age is considered to be the most prominent risk factor in having cataract conditions. Individuals over the age of 60 are particularly at risk of natural changes in the eye lens that has varying degrees of lens opacity.
With age, the lens starts to lose its transparency. This leads to forming a clouding area that causes poor vision.
Regular eye check-ups and early detection can preserve one’s eye and increase the quality of life.
Genetics
Genetics has always played a significant role in developing many diseases. It also includes cataract problems.
A potential genetic predisposition can elevate the risk of developing cataracts. People are susceptible to developing cataracts through inherited traits and genetic mutations.
As mentioned above, Congenital cataracts are one type that is present at birth. This problem is caused by mutations and affects lens development and leads to cloudy vision at an early age.
Diabetes
Diabetes is also one of the significant factors that contribute to the development of this condition. High blood sugar levels lead to high sorbitol and fructose levels in the lens.
This causes the lens to swell due to osmotic and fluid imbalance. Thus, the lens becomes cloudy, which further leads to cataract development.
Individuals with long-term diseases like diabetes are more likely to develop diabetic cataracts. This is majorly due to the effects of high blood sugar on the lens and it may lead the patient to get retinal disease as well.
Prolonged UV Exposure
Radiation causes cataracts due to environmental risks. When our eye lenses are exposed to these harmful rays, it leads to long exposure to UV rays. This accelerates the impaired patient’s development of cataracts.
In general, UV radiation causes oxidative stress through free radicals. It causes the cellular structure to get distorted and disrupts the standard protein structure of the lens which results in the formation of cataracts.
Hence, one should avoid long-term exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays to be susceptible; to this eye condition To protect further, wearing sunglasses can significantly help and diminish this risk.
Smoking and Alcohol Use
Two main lifestyle factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, cause a high chance of impaired vision in the patient.
This is again due to free radicals that are formed due to smoking and consumption of excessive alcohol.
It contributes to oxidative stress, which in turn damages cellular components and causes cataracts.
Smoking, in general, is proven to bring toxins that may lead to chronic information in the body. This significantly, it may lead to cloudy vision that increases the risk of cataracts.
High-dose drugs and medications
Using certain kinds of drugs and medications that are high in doses can increase the risk of developing cataracts.
Various medications, such as corticosteroids, lead to cataract formation. Steroids, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and certain diuretics also cause cataract formation through different mechanisms.
As a result, prolonged use of strong medications can increase the likelihood of cataracts.
Some Common Symptoms of Cataract Formation
Blurry Vision
One of the common symptoms is the blurriness in the eye. It commonly affects people who have near-distance vision problems.
As cataracts progress with age, the lens becomes opaque with time,. This makes it difficult for the eye to transmit light and see clearly.
It may even cause vision to become dim or hazy. The cloudiness in the lens also leads to diffusion, so it feels like the light passes through a foggy or frosted window, which makes it challenging for people to see clearly.
Increased Sensitivity to Light
People who are susceptible to cataracts may find bright lights uncomfortable. They usually notice halos around lights, especially at night.
Usually, when people have cataract formation, it causes the white light to scatter as soon as it enters the eye. Thai scarring activity in the eye leads to sensitivity to bright lights.
Thus, people may need help looking as they perceive halos or circles around light sources.
Difficulty with Night Vision
People who have difficulty adapting in light to dark areas can find it challenging to see clearly. It happens when people are driving at night or enter poorly lit areas.
This can also be a strong cataract condition that may cause impaired vision. It lowers the ability of the eye lens to adjust to sudden changes in different modes and intensities of light.
Thus making it difficult to transition from bright lights to dark environments. Sometimes, characters can make it harder to see in low-light conditions, making people stressed to focus.
Fading or Yellowing of Colors
Cataracts can also cause people to see colors that may appear less vibrant This enables them to distinguish different shades of color.
The lens of the eye needs to filter different wavelengths. When this happens in the normal eye, it enables accurate color perception. But when cataracts develop, the altered light transmission in the eye can affect the ability to recognize exact shade.
Hence, it may lead people to see less vivid or saturated colors. It may give a similar vision of how colors appear through tinted or foggy glass.
Double Vision in One Eye
When cloudiness disrupts the normal passage of light through the lens, it often leads to scattered and unfocused light rays that distort the retina.
As a result, multiple images or ghosting can appear, which causes double vision in the eye.
Double vision is also called diplopia. When a cataract occurs, it causes a person to see two images of a single object. It typically occurs in one eye, which has a major eye defect.
This symptom arises from the clouding of the eye’s lens, which thus affects the focus on the retina, which gives clear vision.
Some people experience double vision in the affected eye and thus can become cataract patients.
Frequent Prescription Changes
If someone feels a need to update their glasses or contact lenses regularly after some time, their eye must be on the progression of cataract formation.
It is considered one of the most common signs of developing cataracts and, therefore, requires frequent changes in eyeglasses.
This symptom looks like your vision might seem more precise one day, while it might be more blurred on another. The fluctuation indicates that people can understand cataracts are forming if it also leads to inconsistent vision.
Different Treatments Available for Cataract
Surgery is considered to be the most effective treatment for resolving the condition of cataracts. It is highly recommended when it significantly impairs the quality of life.
While stronger glasses or magnifying lenses can help in the early stages, surgery is the only permanent way to remove cataracts once they have developed.
Traditional Cataract Surgery
In this type of surgery, an artificial intraocular lens is replaced through traditional methods of eye surgery.
During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is removed and replaced with a fine lens. This procedure is typically performed on an outpatient, allowing the patient to go home the same day.
Cataract surgery is one of the most common and safest surgeries worldwide and thus has a high success rate in restoring vision.
Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery
Some patients may opt for laser-assisted cataract surgery. In this case, choose advanced laser treatment with new technology.
It also includes the Contoura Lasik / Specs Removal procedure. In this type of surgery, the surgeon follows precise steps that offer improved accuracy in cataract treatment. It is specially designed for patients who have refractive eye conditions.
Robotic Cataract Surgery
Robotic cataract surgery is gaining popularity due to its speed and hassle-free nature.
It is an advanced technique that surpasses traditional laser systems and helps surgeons leverage a robotic platform for precise eye surgery.
In robotic systems , the incision is made robotically and allows the lens capsule to be opened up with exceptional precision.It helps capture detailed images of the eye, which is processed by a computer and helps the surgeon to operate precisely.
The entire procedure is completed in just a few seconds. Hence, there are many benefits for patients including high precision, optimal lens placement, better visual outcomes, and faster recovery .Hence, it promotes healing of the eye for clear vision and promotes quicker recovery.
Why Choose the Right Hospital: Sohana Hospital’s Expertise
If you are looking for best eye surgeons for cataracts, seek the right eye care to heal your cataract problem by choosing the right quality healthcare.
Sohana Hospital is a well-renowned hospital that delivers exceptional eye care services. It is a trusted name in cataract treatment.
The hospital provides comprehensive eye care, from detailed diagnostic evaluations to advanced surgical procedures.
Our team of experienced ophthalmologists is highly specialized in cataract surgery and is well-equipped to use the latest technology.
We have been ranked as one of the prestigious hospitals because we deliver personalized care plans for each treatment to meet the specific needs of the patients.
Whether you need standard cataract surgery or laser-assisted procedures, Sohana Hospital is here to help you achieve the best possible outcome with our best ophthalmologist for cataracts at our hospital.
Conclusion
Cataracts are a common problem that is mainly affected in older stages. It is a well-treatable condition that highly qualified doctors can take care of to restore vision and quality of life.
Understanding the risks, recognizing the symptoms, and seeking timely treatment are crucial to managing this condition effectively. With advancements in surgical techniques, most people with cataracts can expect a full recovery of their vision.
If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of cataracts, consider consulting with the experts at Sohana Hospital for a comprehensive care and treatment plan. We will tailor a plan to your needs.