Acataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. The Latin word cataracta means "waterfall" - imagine trying to peer through a sheet of falling water or through a frosty or fogged-up window. Clouded vision can make it more difficult to read, drive a car or see the expression on a friend's face. Cataracts commonly affect distance vision and cause problems with glare. They generally do not cause pain, double vision with both eyes or abnormal tearing.
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| How To Improve Eyes Vision |
The most common type of cataract is related to aging. Clouding of the lens is a normal part of getting older, sort of like gray hair or wrinkles. Almost all Americans age 65 and older have some degree of clouding of the lens. Most cataracts develop slowly and don't disturb your eyesight early on. But as the clouding progresses, it eventually interferes with your clear vision.
The key to living with cataracts is knowing when it's time not to live with them anymore. In the early stages, stronger lighting and eyeglasses can help you deal with the vision problems. But at a certain point, if your normal lifestyle is jeopardized by impaired vision, you might need surgery. Thanks to enormous advances in the management of this condition, cataract removal is one of the safest, most effective and most common surgical procedures - one that restores the sight of millions of Americans.
Cataract myths
Perhaps because cataracts are one of the most common eye disorders, many misconceptions about them exist. Here are the facts:
- A cataract is not a film covering your eye. It's located within the eye - in the lens.
- Just because your eye looks clear doesn't mean there's no cataract. Most cataracts are detectable only with special instruments.
- Cataracts aren't caused by cancer.
- Cataracts don't spread from one eye to the other, although both eyes may be affected.
- Overusing your eyes doesn't cause cataracts.
- You don't have to wait for a cataract to turn completely white or become "ripe" before having it removed.
A cataract usually develops slowly and causes no pain. At first the cloudiness may affect only a small part of the lens, and you may be unaware of any vision loss. Over time, however, as the cataract grows larger, it clouds more of the lens. When significantly less light reaches the retina, your vision becomes impaired. Symptoms of a cataract include:
- Clouded, blurred or dim vision
- Increasing difficulty with vision at night
- Sensitivity to light and glare
- Halos around lights
- The need for brighter light for reading and other activities
- Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions
- The fading or yellowing of colors
- Double vision or multiple vision in one eye
Keep in mind that cataracts don't typically cause any change in the appearance of the eye or the production of tears. Pain, redness, itching, irritation, aching in the eye or a discharge from the eye may be signs and symptoms of other eye disorders.
A cataract isn't dangerous to the physical health of your eye unless the cataract becomes completely white, a condition known as an overripe (hypermature) cataract. This can cause inflammation, pain and headache. A hypermature cataract is extremely rare but needs to be removed quickly.
Causes
As you age the lenses in your eyes become less flexible, less transparent and thicker. The lens is made mostly of water and protein fibers. The protein fibers are arranged in a precise manner that makes the lens clear and allows light to pass through without interference. With aging, the composition of the lens undergoes changes and the structure of the protein fibers breaks down. Some of the fibers begin to clump together, clouding small areas of the lens. As the cataract continues to develop, the clouding becomes more dense and involves a greater part of the lens.
Scientists don't know why a lens changes with age. One possibility is damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Smoking and exposure to UV light are two sources of free radicals. General wear and tear on the lens over the years also may cause the changes in protein fibers.
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Age-related changes in the lens aren't the only cause of cataracts. Some people are born with cataracts or develop them in childhood. Such cataracts may be the result of the mother having contracted rubella (German measles) during pregnancy. They may also be due to a chemical imbalance or developmental problem.
Congenital cataracts, as they're called, don't always affect vision, but if they do they're usually removed soon after detection. To find out more, you can check out How To Improve Eyes Vision.