Cataract: Meaning, Diagnosis and Overview

What is Cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. It can occur in either one or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other.
Types of cataract include:

• Age related
• Congenital (some babies are born with cataracts or develop them within the first year of life)
• Traumatic (injury to the eye)
• Secondary (medications (most commonly prednisone or other corticosteroids) or disease, like diabetes)

Recovery Time

The rate of progression of cataracts is usually predictable and surgery is successful in restoring vision in a large majority of cases.

Diagnosis

Standard eye exam and slit-lamp examinations are used to diagnose cataracts. Other tests are rarely needed, except to rule out other causes of poor vision.

FAQs prepared by doctor

1. What is cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people.

2. Does it happen in one eye or both eyes?
It can occur in either one or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other.

3. What are its symptoms?
Signs and symptoms of cataracts include clouded, blurred or dim vision, increased difficulty with vision at night, sensitivity to light and glare, seeing "halos" around lights, fading or yellowing of colors, double vision, loss of color intensity and poor night vision.

4. How does cataract occur?
Cataracts occur when there is a buildup of protein in the lens that makes it cloudy. This prevents light from passing clearly through the lens, causing some loss of vision. Since new lens cells form on the outside of the lens, all the older cells are compacted into the center of the lens resulting in the opacity called as cataract.

5. When shall one consult doctor?
One shall consult a doctor when there are symptoms like loss of vision, cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, or filmy vision, difficulty seeing at night or in dim light, double vision, loss of color intensity and problems with glare arises.