Cataracts: Symptoms, Diagnoses, and Treatment

People who have cataracts struggle to see through the cloudiness of their eye lenses. They tend to see things like looking through a frosty window. Most of them have trouble driving and reading. They may even find it difficult to see the facial expressions of people they interact with regularly.

What Is Cataracts?

Cataracts are an eye disease that develops in the eye lens. It occurs due to the breakdown and clumping of proteins in your eye lens. The clouding causes fogging, making it difficult for light to enter the eye. As a result, vision may become blurry, and one may develop vision loss.

The location and size of the cataract determine how your vision will change.

Causes Of Cataracts

Cataracts are brought on by natural changes as people get old. They can also develop faster in younger individuals. Most patients around 40 years experience a thickening of their eye lenses, the latter becoming less transparent and flexible.

Your eyes remain clear because they have well-arranged protein to maintain their clarity and allow light through and into the eyes. Cataracts develop when the proteins break down and begin clumping up, causing clouding in areas of your eye lens. As a result, you start noticing vision changes.

Anybody can develop cataracts; the condition does not affect the old only. You can develop cataracts from medical conditions, surgery complications, or medication side effects. Diseases such as diabetes can lead to cataracts. You also increase your risk of developing cataracts if you expose yourself to radiation or ultraviolet light.

Sustaining an eye injury can lead to the development of a traumatic cataract. Finally, you can develop a congenital cataract at birth or during childhood. The condition may develop due to genetics, injury, poor fetus development, or infection.

Symptoms

Below are the signs and symptoms of having cataracts:
 

• Dimmed, clouded, and blurry vision.
   

• Difficulty seeing at night.
   

• Light and glare sensitivity.
   

• Need for more light to do activities such as reading.
   

• Seeing halos around light.
   

• Frequent eyeglass or contact lens prescription changes.
   

• Yellowing or fading of colors.
   

• The lens of the eye looks cloudy.

Diagnosis

Part of diagnosing the condition involves a comprehensive eye exam. Your doctor may refer you to an eye specialist who can conduct the following tests:
 

• Visual acuity test - Measures your ability to read an eye chart with small letters. Your doctor can use this to determine to what degree your vision worsened. They can also tell whether the problem is a recent occurrence.
   

• Slit-lamp test - Your doctor will examine your eyes using special equipment called a slit lamp. They can do so by magnifying parts such as the lens, iris, and cornea for a closer look.
   

• Retinal exam - Your doctor will examine your retina using eye drops to dilate your pupils. Doing so helps them investigate and analyze the inner structures of your eyes for a proper diagnosis. They can also do this using an ophthalmoscope or a slit lamp.

Treatment

Cataract patients can use brighter lighting, eyeglasses, or magnifying glasses to see better through the cloudy eye lens. However, the only treatment that can cure the condition is cataract surgery.

For more about cataracts, visit Perceptions Eye Health & Wellness at our office in Southport, North Carolina. You can call (910) 400-1215 to book an appointment today.