A cataract is an ophthalmological condition that causes a progressive decrease in visual acuity due to the loss of the transparency of the lens (the lens of the eye with the role of focusing the image, located behind the iris).
What are the symptoms of cataracts?
Cataract diagnostic investigations
What is cataract
A cataract is an ophthalmological condition that causes a progressive decrease in visual acuity due to the loss of the transparency of the lens (the lens of the eye with the role of focusing the image, located behind the iris).
Why does the condition occur?
The mechanisms of occurrence of the condition can be genetic (inherited) and acquired later during life, with approximately 70% of people over 65 years old being diagnosed with this condition. The most frequent risk factors involved in the occurrence of cataracts are represented by excessive exposure to UV rays (natural or artificial light-tanning salons), the use of corticosteroid medication, the association of chronic metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus) or ophthalmological diseases (glaucoma, of the retina), trauma or carrying out professional activity in toxic environments.
According to the way the lens is affected, cataracts can be divided into 3 categories, namely:
- Nuclear cataract (central opacification of the crystalline lens) is determined by nuclear sclerosis and is the most common form of cataract encountered especially in the case of the elderly
- Cortical cataracts are more common in young people and people suffering from diabetes; it is manifested by the appearance of opacification “in the shape of the wheel” that extends from the periphery to the center of the lens and causes the appearance of a cortical cataract
- Posterior subcapsular cataract forms behind the capsule that maintains the lens in its physiological position and has an increased incidence in people with severe myopia
What are the symptoms of cataracts?
The condition occurs in both eyes and evolves without pain, the visual disturbances described by the patients are represented by:
- Vision in the fog
- Decrease in color intensity
- The need to frequently change glasses (or contact lenses for vision) with the lack of improvement in visual acuity
- Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
- Decreased visual acuity during the night
- The perception of halos around bright points
- Diplopia (double vision)
- Paradoxically, patients describe an improvement in near vision, but of short duration, which disappears with the evolution of the cataract
Cataract diagnostic investigations
The diagnosis of the condition is established during a routine ophthalmological consultation by examination using a device called a biomicroscope. During the examination, the ophthalmologist will establish the degree of progression of the disease by determining visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and visual acuity in low-light conditions (night vision).
Treatment
Cataract treatment is represented by the surgical replacement, after the administration of local anesthesia, of the opacified lens with an artificial lens and is indicated for patients whose vision problems affect the quality of life by making daily activities difficult.
Find out more:
- Age-related cataract – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673605179112
- Cataract and surgery for cataract – https://www.bmj.com/content/333/7559/128.short
- The new epidemiology of cataracts. – https://europepmc.org/article/med/17067897
