Cataracts happen in the lens of the eye.
The lens is a small pouch filled with a protein-dense gel substance.
Light passes through the cornea (the clear covering over the front of the eye ball), through the chamber immediately behind the cornea (also fluid-filled), through the pupil, and through the lens.
The lens inverts the image and focuses the upside-down image on the retina where the nerve endings gather the information and send it to the brain via the optic nerve.
The gel in the lens can be compared to egg white.
When the gel oxidizes (I'll explain this later) the response is somewhat like frying an egg.
The protein structure gets changed, and becomes opaque and lumpy.
Obviously, when the protein structure in the lens changes it works less well as a focusing window and becomes more like a double-glazed window that has waxed paper between the layers of glass.
There are several causes of cataracts.
The most common one is 'aging'.
These 'age-related' cataracts can start developing as early as 40 years of age.
They typically will start to affect vision somewhere in the 60's.
This is actually not caused by getting older, but by not protecting the eye from free radicals.
Free radicals cause oxidation.
Free radicals damage molecules of just about anything.
When collagen is affected by free radicals, skin gets wrinklier.
When arteries are damaged by free radicals cholesterol levels go up to repair the damage and arteries can get blocked.
When free radicals attack the gel in the lens the gel goes lumpy and opaque.
Some of the most significant sources of eye-altering free-radicals are bright light and UV rays, smoking, alcohol consumption, and radiation.
Cataracts can also be the result of surgery for other eye problems, or can be side effects of other disease processes like diabetes like glaucoma.
Trauma to the eye is thought to potentially result in cataracts - sometimes many years later.
Add to this the possibility of congenital cataracts (yes, some babies are born with them, and some children develop them very early in life) and it would seem that on one is immune.
You might suspect you have cataracts forming, even without a medical diagnosis, if your vision is getting worse gradually.
Colors may seem faded and you might even have a brownish tint to everything you see.
This tinting may make it harder to read or see, especially in dim light.
It may also slightly alter your colour perception of blues and purples, making them seem black.
(Your closest friends may question your colour combination's.
Strangers won't.
They'll just wonder who picks your clothes for you.
) The glare from headlights, lamps, or sunlight might appear too bright or you may see a halo around lights.
You might also have double or triple vision which will often clear up as the cataract gets larger.
Your optometrist, of course, has several tests to conduct on you to detect the presence and severity of cataracts.
What will your optometrist recommend for therapy? At the outset, if the cataracts are not developed enough to remove, he or she may recommend new corrective lenses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, and magnifying lenses.
When the cataracts become big enough surgery will probably be recommended to remove the cataract and replace the lens with an artificial lens (also called an intraocular lens).
For those who may not tolerate the artificial lens, high magnification corrective lenses or soft contact lenses may be recommended.
If both eyes need to have cataracts removed the surgeries cannot be done at the same time.
It is usually recommended that there be a four to eight week gap between surgeries to let the first one heal completely.
Cataract surgery is effective for about 90% of the people who undergo it.
With all surgeries there are risks.
The most common risks are infection and bleeding.
Specifically with this type of eye surgery there is also an increased risk of retinal detachment which is a medical emergency and which your doctor will warn you thoroughly about.
Eye health should be monitored by a professional.
The lens is a small pouch filled with a protein-dense gel substance.
Light passes through the cornea (the clear covering over the front of the eye ball), through the chamber immediately behind the cornea (also fluid-filled), through the pupil, and through the lens.
The lens inverts the image and focuses the upside-down image on the retina where the nerve endings gather the information and send it to the brain via the optic nerve.
The gel in the lens can be compared to egg white.
When the gel oxidizes (I'll explain this later) the response is somewhat like frying an egg.
The protein structure gets changed, and becomes opaque and lumpy.
Obviously, when the protein structure in the lens changes it works less well as a focusing window and becomes more like a double-glazed window that has waxed paper between the layers of glass.
There are several causes of cataracts.
The most common one is 'aging'.
These 'age-related' cataracts can start developing as early as 40 years of age.
They typically will start to affect vision somewhere in the 60's.
This is actually not caused by getting older, but by not protecting the eye from free radicals.
Free radicals cause oxidation.
Free radicals damage molecules of just about anything.
When collagen is affected by free radicals, skin gets wrinklier.
When arteries are damaged by free radicals cholesterol levels go up to repair the damage and arteries can get blocked.
When free radicals attack the gel in the lens the gel goes lumpy and opaque.
Some of the most significant sources of eye-altering free-radicals are bright light and UV rays, smoking, alcohol consumption, and radiation.
Cataracts can also be the result of surgery for other eye problems, or can be side effects of other disease processes like diabetes like glaucoma.
Trauma to the eye is thought to potentially result in cataracts - sometimes many years later.
Add to this the possibility of congenital cataracts (yes, some babies are born with them, and some children develop them very early in life) and it would seem that on one is immune.
You might suspect you have cataracts forming, even without a medical diagnosis, if your vision is getting worse gradually.
Colors may seem faded and you might even have a brownish tint to everything you see.
This tinting may make it harder to read or see, especially in dim light.
It may also slightly alter your colour perception of blues and purples, making them seem black.
(Your closest friends may question your colour combination's.
Strangers won't.
They'll just wonder who picks your clothes for you.
) The glare from headlights, lamps, or sunlight might appear too bright or you may see a halo around lights.
You might also have double or triple vision which will often clear up as the cataract gets larger.
Your optometrist, of course, has several tests to conduct on you to detect the presence and severity of cataracts.
What will your optometrist recommend for therapy? At the outset, if the cataracts are not developed enough to remove, he or she may recommend new corrective lenses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, and magnifying lenses.
When the cataracts become big enough surgery will probably be recommended to remove the cataract and replace the lens with an artificial lens (also called an intraocular lens).
For those who may not tolerate the artificial lens, high magnification corrective lenses or soft contact lenses may be recommended.
If both eyes need to have cataracts removed the surgeries cannot be done at the same time.
It is usually recommended that there be a four to eight week gap between surgeries to let the first one heal completely.
Cataract surgery is effective for about 90% of the people who undergo it.
With all surgeries there are risks.
The most common risks are infection and bleeding.
Specifically with this type of eye surgery there is also an increased risk of retinal detachment which is a medical emergency and which your doctor will warn you thoroughly about.
Eye health should be monitored by a professional.
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