A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. In normal vision, light enters the eye, passing through the lens, and is focused on the retina in the back of the eye. When the lens is cloudy, light is blocked, and the image that reaches the retina is out of focus, causing blurred or distorted vision. Glare, dull colors and blurred vision are common complaints from people with cataracts. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes, but it cannot spread from one eye to the other.

Cataracts are the leading cause of visual loss among adults 55 and older. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. Although the aging process is the most common cause of cataracts, they can also result from disease or injury.

How Cataracts Form

The lens lies behind the iris and the pupil. It works much like a camera lens. It focuses light onto the retina at the back of the eye, where an image is recorded. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. The lens is made of mostly water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and allows light to pass through it.

But as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract. Over time, the cataract may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.

 

Age-related cataracts can affect your vision in two ways:

1. Clumps of protein reduce the sharpness of the image reaching the retina. The lens consists mostly of water and protein. When the protein clumps up, it clouds the lens and reduces the light that reaches the retina. The clouding may become severe enough to cause blurred vision. Cataracts tend to "grow" slowly, so vision gets worse gradually.
2. The clear lens slowly changes to a yellowish/brownish color, adding a brownish tint to vision. At first, the amount of tinting may be small and may not cause a vision problem. Over time, increased tinting may make it more difficult to read and perform other routine activities. This gradual change in the amount of tinting does not affect the sharpness of the image transmitted to the retina.

Other Types of Cataracts

Secondary cataract - Cataracts can form after surgery for other eye problems, such as glaucoma. Cataracts also can develop in people who have other health problems, such as diabetes. Cataracts have also been linked to prolonged steroid use.

Traumatic cataract - Cataracts can develop after an eye injury, sometimes years later.

Congenital cataract - Some babies are born with cataracts or develop them in childhood, often in both eyes. These cataracts may be so small that they do not affect vision. If they do, the lenses may need to be removed.

Radiation cataract - Cataracts can develop after exposure to some types of radiation.

Risk Factors for Developing Cataracts

The risk of cataract increases as you get older. Other risk factors for cataract include:

• Certain diseases such as diabetes.
• Personal behavior such as smoking and alcohol use.
• The environment such as prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Treatment Options for Cataracts

The symptoms of early cataract may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses. If these measures do not help, surgery is the only effective treatment. No medications, dietary supplements, or exercises have been shown to prevent or cure cataracts. Click here to visit Cataract Surgery.