Diagnosing and Treating cataracts?

A human eye contains a natural lens that refracts light rays that enters the eye, making it easier for us to see objects. However, if things start to look less colorful, hazy, or blurry, then there is a chance that you have a cataract. A cataract happens when the natural lens becomes cloudy due to the natural aging process. And when you develop a cataract, your vision becomes hazy and blurred and can eventually lead to blindness.

The most common root of cataracts is biological aging. This is mainly because of the eye changing process that starts at the age of 40. The change normally occurs when normal proteins in the lens breakdown, creating a cloudy effect in the eye. It is good to note that you may not notice any change until you are 60 and above.

However, some factors such as smoking, infection, injury, skin diseases, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation can also lead to cataracts. Individuals who live in developing countries, especially states that delve more into agricultural farming, are always at a huge risk of getting cataracts. Also, people who spend most of their time outdoors, without wearing eye-protective gadgets, contact UV-BB radiation that results in cataracts.

Cataracts associated with age always tend to develop gradually. Cataracts in people with diabetes and younger people can develop quickly, though it is difficult to predict how to create them.

The natural lens where clouding takes place is located behind the iris. The duty of the lens is to focus light that passes through the eye, creating sharp and clear objects on the retina. And when you grow old, the lens becomes less transparent, less flexible, and thicker. Medical conditions and age-related issues force the tissues around the lens to break down the lens's clouding area.

And when the cataract intensifies, the clouding becomes denser, taking a wider part of the lens. The cataract blocks and scatters the light as it goes through the lens, making your vision blurred.

There are four types of cataracts: nuclear cataracts, cortical cataracts, posterior subscapular cataracts, and congenital cataracts. A nuclear cataract that affects the center of the lens at first might improve your reading temporarily and create more nearsightedness. However, with time, the lens turns yellow gradually, clouding your vision further. And if the cataract progresses, the natural lens may become brown, making it difficult for one to distinguish colors.

Cortical cataracts affect the lens's edges and start as whitish streaks or wedge-shaped opacities at the lens's edge. Thus, when it intensifies, the spots progress to the center of the lens, interfering with your vision. Find out more about eye floaters.

Posterior subscapular cataracts affect the back of the lens and kick-off as a small, cloudy region that forms at the end of the lens, along the path of light. This affects your vision in bright sunlight, reading fiction, and causes halos or glare around lights at night. However, this type of cataract tends to grow faster compared to others.

Congenital cataracts are those that develop during childhood due to trauma, intrauterine infection, or genes. They may also develop due to certain health disorders such as myotonic dystrophy, rubella, or galactosemia. However, these cataracts do not affect vision, and if they affect, doctors can remove them after detection.

Although doctors can treat cataracts, it is one common cause of blindness among people. If you have any cataract symptoms, contact your ophthalmologist to know if you are ready for treatment.