Five Signs You Might Have a Cataract
6/10/2021
By Richard Bang, M.D., family medicine
By the age of 80, more than half of all Americans have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. A cataract, a clouding of the normally clear lens in the eye, is extremely common, especially in older people. Cataracts greatly affect a person’s vision, making it hard to read, drive a car, or even to see expressions on faces. Though cataracts can damage eyesight, they are also among the most easily treatable conditions with surgery.
The lens of the eye is the part through which light passes to help focus images on the retina. The lens, normally clear, is made of water and protein. As people age, the protein can clump together and cause the lens to become cloudy, resulting in blurry vision. This condition is called a cataract. Cataracts often form slowly and have few symptoms. In their early stages, cataracts can often be corrected with eyeglasses or contacts.
As cataracts become more serious, surgery can help restore vision. Cataract surgery is the most often performed surgery in the United States and one of the most successful. About 4 million cataract procedures are done every year and more than 90 percent of people who have cataract surgery have fully restored vision. Cataract surgery removes the clouded lens and replaces it with a clear, plastic one that becomes part of the eye and needs no maintenance.
Symptoms of a cataract include clouded or blurred vision, increased difficulty seeing at night, sensitivity to lights, frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions, or double vision in one eye. Cataracts can occur in one or both eyes, but they cannot spread from one eye to the other. Unless it becomes completely white, the cataract is not dangerous to the health of the eye. If it does, it has become a hypermature cataract and can cause inflammation, headaches and pain. These are uncommon, but usually require removal.
To diagnose a cataract, a doctor will perform several different types of tests. The visual acuity test uses an eye chart to measure sight at a variety of distances. In the dilated eye exam, the doctor places drops in the eye to dilate the pupils. After doing this, the doctor will be able to examine the retina and optic nerve for signs of damage or other eye problems. A tonometry test measures the pressure in the eye. Since symptoms are similar for different types of eye problems, a doctor will diagnose the specific ailment before beginning treatment.
Because cataracts are so common, it is important for people to get regular eye exams, especially as they get older. Age-related cataracts can start developing as soon as age 30, though they usually do not seriously affect vision until age 60. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, people between the ages of 40 and 54 should have an eye exam every two to four years, ages 55 to 64 should have an eye exam every 1 to 3 years, and people 65 and older should have an eye exam every one to two years.
Good vision is an integral part of everyday life. Consult your physician if you are having new or worsening eye problems. With regular eyes exams, you can help detect age-related eye problems, like cataracts, and treat them early.
For information on services provided at Laredo Medical Center, please call (956) 796-3223.
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