Cataract

  
          Normal Vision                            Vision with Cataract

Cataract is a phenomenon that is part of the aging of the eye and one of the most frequent causes for blurry vision after a certain age. Everyone, after a certain age, can present a haziness of the lens. There is no other treatment for cataract except for surgery, when there is an indication for it. The surgery to remove cataract is very frequent and tends to be routine for Ophthalmologist Surgeons.

Causes.

Cataract is the haze of the natural lens of the eye. The natural lens is found behind the iris, it is the same size as a lentil and it is naturally clear.

It cannot be prevented nor treated with medication.
It is a very usual disorder and it appears with age.
Sometimes it can be caused by an injury, certain disorders (e.g. diabetes, eye inflammations etc.) or medication such as chronic use of cortisone.
In very few cases a child can be born with cataract (congenital cataract).

What are the symptoms of cataract?

Haziness with gradual decrease in close or distant vision.
Vision becomes less and less clear.
Flashes and reflections around certain objects.
Fainted color perception.
Intense irritation by the sun.

All the above symptoms can affect everyday activities such as:

Driving, especially at night or in intense brightness.
Reading or watching television (in some cases, in the initial stages of some types of cataract, reading can be achieved without glasses = “second vision”)
Sewing or other tasks that need detailed observation of objects.

When should cataract surgery be done?

Surgery can be decided when the cataract starts being such a problem to the quality of vision that the person has trouble in his everyday activities (safe driving, reading, television). Based on your symptoms, you and your ophthalmologist will decide together on when to do the surgery. It is not true any more that cataract must be “mature” to be removed. With new surgical techniques (phacoemulsification) this perception belongs in the past. On the contrary, removing an overly mature hard cataract makes the procedure more difficult and can present complications.

Learn more about cataract and vision restoration with cataract surgery.