A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away.
Water and proteing pretty much make up the bulk of the lens. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it. As we get older, some of the proteins start to clump and accumulate on the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, if it grows and gets thicker, it becomes harder to see.
Researchers are continuing to resarch and find out more about what causes these specific types of proteins to cluster in unnatural ways to form and to cause lens cloudiness and cataracts. One recent finding it is fragmented proteins that bind with the normal proteins, disrupting normal function.
They start off small and have relatively no effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, as if you are looking through a frosted piece of glass. And over time, the condition usually worsens.
People with diabetes, high farsightedness, retinitis pigmentosa or those taking high doses of steroids run the risk of developing a subcapsular cataract. Congenital cataracts are known to be caused by infections women get during pregnancy, such as rubella.
The type of cataract you have will affect exactly which symptoms you experience and how soon they will occur. When a nuclear cataract first develops, it can bring about a temporary improvement in your near vision, called "second sight." Unfortunately, the improved vision is short-lived and will disappear as the cataract worsens. On the other hand, a subcapsular cataract may not produce any symptoms until it's well-developed.
No one knows for sure why the eye's lens changes as we age, forming cataracts. Researchers are gradually identifying factors that may cause cataracts - and information that may help to prevent them. Many studies suggest that exposure to ultraviolet light is associated with cataract development, so eyecare practitioners recommend wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat to lessen your exposure.
While there are temporary fixes, the only way to treat a cataract is through surgery. Cataract surgery has a very high sucess rate. In fact, every year over 1.5 million procedures are performed in the United States. Nine out of 10 people who have cataract surgery regain very good vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40.
Think about surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision.
Water and proteing pretty much make up the bulk of the lens. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it. As we get older, some of the proteins start to clump and accumulate on the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, if it grows and gets thicker, it becomes harder to see.
Researchers are continuing to resarch and find out more about what causes these specific types of proteins to cluster in unnatural ways to form and to cause lens cloudiness and cataracts. One recent finding it is fragmented proteins that bind with the normal proteins, disrupting normal function.
They start off small and have relatively no effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, as if you are looking through a frosted piece of glass. And over time, the condition usually worsens.
People with diabetes, high farsightedness, retinitis pigmentosa or those taking high doses of steroids run the risk of developing a subcapsular cataract. Congenital cataracts are known to be caused by infections women get during pregnancy, such as rubella.
The type of cataract you have will affect exactly which symptoms you experience and how soon they will occur. When a nuclear cataract first develops, it can bring about a temporary improvement in your near vision, called "second sight." Unfortunately, the improved vision is short-lived and will disappear as the cataract worsens. On the other hand, a subcapsular cataract may not produce any symptoms until it's well-developed.
No one knows for sure why the eye's lens changes as we age, forming cataracts. Researchers are gradually identifying factors that may cause cataracts - and information that may help to prevent them. Many studies suggest that exposure to ultraviolet light is associated with cataract development, so eyecare practitioners recommend wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat to lessen your exposure.
While there are temporary fixes, the only way to treat a cataract is through surgery. Cataract surgery has a very high sucess rate. In fact, every year over 1.5 million procedures are performed in the United States. Nine out of 10 people who have cataract surgery regain very good vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40.
Think about surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision.
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