Find The Cataract

 

There is a lens behind the colored iris of the eye that is about the size and shape of a plain M & M.  This lens should be clear to allow light and color through.  Any cloudiness or defect in the lens is considered a cataract.  There are over 20 types of cataracts and the most common types are related to age, long term exposure to ultraviolet light, certain medication use, diabetes and trauma.  Some children are born with cataracts and even electrocution can cause cataracts.  Most people start to experience the effects of cataracts after the age of 65.

The symptoms of cataracts include blurred vision, decreased brightness of colors, glare at night, avoidance of night driving and need for increased light on reading material.

These videos were taken in our office.  The first picture shows a brown iris with a central pupil that looks black.  The lens in Image A is so clear that light is transmitting through it without disruption, causing the black appearance.  This patient does not have a cataract.

Image A

Image B shows an age related cataract that appears yellow, milky and cloudy.  This patient has decreased vision and many symptoms related to the cataracts, especially in low light environments.  These type of cataracts cause people to avoid driving at night and complain about how they need more and more light to see reading material.  Individuals with these type of cataracts will require cataract surgery to remove this cloudy lens to see better.  The cataract will replaced with a clear lens implant during the surgery.

Image B

Although the owner of this car (Image C) may have a cataract, let's be clear, a Cadillac is different than a cataract despite how many people think they have "Cadillacs in my eyes".  : )   

Image C

 

Image D is also a cataract.  It's location is the problem as it is in the center of where this patient is looking through the lens.  Imagine this patient's pupil getting smaller in bright light and now the only area of the lens that they can look through is right where the cataract is.   This person will complain of worse vision when they are in bright environments.  In low light environments, the pupil gets larger, like it is in the photograph (the pupil is dilated from the eye drops we use), and the patient can potentially see better because they are able to look around the cataract to see.  This patient also needs to consider cataract surgery because they are experiencing too many visual problems from this cataract.

 

Image D
 

The best way to reduce your risk of developing early cataracts is to wear sunglasses when you are outside to protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun, be a non-smoker, avoid becoming diabetic, avoid trauma to the eyes and avoid long term steroid use.  That being said, if you live long enough you will most like get cataracts.