CATARACT
My grandfather once had the scariest eyes I had ever seen in my life. But his eyes were not always like that. They were full of love which he used to watch his grandkids play when we were still very young. As time went on, he became a bit withdrawn, we didn’t know that he was losing his vision. His lenses were cloudy, and I was worried that his eyes would eventually turn completely white.
One day my father inquired if my grandfather was seeing clearly. Being a caring granddad, he did not want to overburden us and so refused to share his problem but my parents insisted and took him to an eye care hospital only to learn about Cataract.
As dangerous as this disease sounds, it is not deadly. It is a very common and age-related disease. My grandfather had to undergo eye surgery and his vision was back and after a few weeks rest his dense cloudy lenses were also back to normal.
Here is what you should know about Cataract:
What exactly is Cataract?
There are proteins in the eye and when they cluster, they block the lens from sending signals to the retina. They deform the image and impair vision for the person. In biology, the retina converts the light that comes through the eyes in form of a signal to form an image for us to see. In the case of cataract, the image formed is not clear.
It’s very common with old age. But due to injury or accident, a young person can also face this deformity, and the solution is always surgery.
This blockage or bundles of proteins are not formed overnight, it develops slowly and interferes with the vision.
Normally they don’t appear in both eyes, but if they do, then a person can undergo cataract surgery and get their vision back.
TYPES OF CATARACT
There are three common types of Cataract
- SUBCAPSULAR CATARACT: It deforms the backside of the lens. Diabetic patients and people on steroid drugs have higher chances of developing this type of cataract.
- NUCLEAR CATARACT: This type is associated with aging and it is the most common one. It forms in the central part of the lens.
- CORTICAL CATARACT: It’s formed around the central part of the nucleus.
There are other less common types that can be caused by accidents, infection, radioactive rays, or present from birth.
TREATMENT / SURGERY FOR CATARACT
The only treatment to get the vision back is through surgery. It is important to follow the doctor’s advice as she/he would carefully examine, diagnose, and advise on the various options available along with the risks involved.
During examination, the doctor will scan your retina for damage along with other related ocular structures. In some cases, the doctor will help you manage your daily routine with spectacles, magnifying lenses, or suggest sunglasses with anti-glare. Surgery will only be recommended when you are not able to perform your daily routine task or if your cataract problem will cause hindrance in the treatment of any other problem.
In surgery, an artificial lens is placed in the eye, where the actual lens was already in place. Usually, the surgery is very safe, medical science is advanced enough and has been having a very high success rate for this surgery.
Most people even go home the same day.
CAN IT LEAD TO BLINDNESS?
Yes, Cataract if left untreated and ignored can lead to blindness. Consequently, doctors usually advise for getting it removed by surgery.
PREVENTION
Foods containing Vitamin E are recommended for the prevention of Cataract. However, there are still ongoing researches on this topic. Other ways of prevention are by wearing sunglasses which should block the sun’s UV rays from entering into eyes.
IN CONCLUSION
Cataract looks scary, and it can lead to blindness, follow your doctor’s advice, and go for treatment. Surgery is one of the safest options in this regard since it has a higher success rate. Furthermore, the doctor might also recommend some post-treatment eye wears for a short time in order to protect the eye, or eye drops to keep your eyes clean.
We recommend that the best way to confirm if you have a cataract is to visit the hospital for a checkup.