Cataracts are whitish or cloudy patches that form in the lens of the eye and cause vision to become hazy or blurry. The most frequent cause of vision impairment in the globe is cataracts.
One or both eyes may acquire cataracts, which obstruct the path of light through the lens. Normally translucent, the lens lets light reach the retina at the back of the eye. However, cataracts result in the lens becoming opaque, and as the cataracts increase in size or quantity, vision gradually deteriorates as less light can get through the lens.
The structures that make up the eye include:
The vitreous humour, which resembles jelly, fills the eyeball.
Conjunctiva: The delicate membrane that covers the sclera (white of the eye)
The clean, translucent covering that covers the pupil and allows light to pass through is called the cornea.
The translucent part of the eye’s front that lets light through is called the lens.
Below the lens is a thin nerve membrane called the retina that senses light entering the eye. To form a picture, retinal nerves communicate with the brain via the optic nerve.
The optic nerve transports data from the retina to the brain, where it is translated into vision.
The iris, ciliary body, and chorid make comprise the vascular middle layer of the eyeball known as the uvea. The eyeball is housed in this hollow.
One of the earliest symptoms of cataracts is blurred vision. The cloudier the lens becomes, the more sight is impaired, until vision in the affected eye is lost altogether. There is usually no pain associated with the condition.
Cataracts usually affect the elderly but children and infants may also be affected by special forms of cataracts. Some of the other risk factors associated with cataracts include smoking, a history of cataracts in the family, poor diet, overexposure of the eyes to sunlight, long-term use of steroids and diabetes.
For mild cataracts, high power glasses and brighter reading lights may help. As the condition progresses however, the eye may need to be operated on. Surgery is one of the most popular and most effective treatment options in cataract therapy. The operation involves removal of the affected lens, which is replaced with an artificial lens.
