What are cataracts, how does the surgery work and what are the causes and symptoms of the eye condition?
Cataracts are the most common cause of worldwide blindness and often affect older people
CATARACTS are clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil.
The eye condition is the most common cause of blindness across the world, affecting the over 40s predominantly.
What are cataracts?
Cataracts occur when the transparent lens inside the eyeball develops cloudy patches.
Over time these patches often become bigger and can cause blurry, misty vision and eventually blindness.
They often appear in both eyes, although they may not necessarily develop at the same time or to the same degree.
The condition is more common in older people, but there have been cases in babies and young children.
What types of cataract are there?
Cataracts fall into three categories:
- A subcapsular cataract occurs at the back of the lens. People with diabetes or those taking high doses of steroid medications have a greater risk of developing a subcapsular cataract.
- A nuclear cataract forms deep in the central zone (nucleus) of the lens. Nuclear cataracts usually are associated with aging.
- A cortical cataract is characterised by white, wedge-like opacities that start in the periphery of the lens and work their way to the centre in a spoke-like fashion. This type of cataract occurs in the lens cortex, which is the part of the lens that surrounds the central nucleus.
What are the symptoms?
A cataract often starts out small and has little effect on your vision in the early stages. However as it progresses, sufferers risk long term vision impairment or even blindness.
Signs and symptoms of cataracts include:
- Clouded, blurred or dim vision
- Increasing difficulty with vision at night
- Sensitivity to light and glare
- Need for brighter light for reading and other activities
- Seeing "halos" around lights
- Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription
- Fading or yellowing of colours
- Double vision in a single eye
What causes cataracts to develop?
The lens of the eye is mostly made of water and protein.
The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and allows light to pass through it.
However, as we age some of this protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens.
This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.
No one knows exactly why the eye's lens changes as we age but researchers worldwide have identified factors that may cause cataracts or are associated with cataract development.
Besides advancing age, cataract risk factors include:
- Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and other sources
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications
- Statin medicines used to reduce cholesterol
- Previous eye injury or inflammation
- Previous eye surgery
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Significant alcohol consumption
- High myopia (near-sightedness)
- Family history
MORE HEALTH NEWS
How does surgery work?
Cataract surgery involves replacing the cloudy lens inside your eye with an artificial one.
It's the most common operation performed in the UK, with a high success rate in improving your eyesight.
The operation takes around 45 minutes and it can take 4 to 6 weeks to fully recover from cataract surgery.
During the operation, the surgeon will make a tiny cut in your eye to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear plastic one.
If you have cataracts in both eyes, you'll need two separate operations, usually carried out 6 to 12 weeks apart.
This will give the first eye to be treated time to heal and your vision time to return.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.