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Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people.Minor lens opacities at birth may never progress to cataract in adulthood, while others progress to a degree requiring surgery or causing blindness. Many factors influence vision and cataract development including age, nutrition, heredity, medications, toxins, health habits, sunlight exposure, and head trauma. Hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes, or direct trauma to the eye can also cause cataract. The retina is the eye's light-sensitive layer that sends signals to the brain that are interpreted as vision. Last year, approximately 2.7 million Americans underwent cataract surgery. Greater than 95% of those patients now enjoy improved vision. State-of-the-art cataract surgery is now a safe, effective, and comfortable procedure performed almost exclusively on an outpatient basis. Protein arranges itself to allow light rays to pass through and to focus the rays onto the retina. But as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. Eye injuries, certain medications, and diseases such as diabetes and alcoholism have also been known to cause cataracts. Cortical cataract forms when the order of fibers in the cortex is disturbed and the gaps fill with water and debris, thus altering the pathophysiology of light by scattering and/or absorbing it. Cataract surgery today is the result of extraordinary technological and surgical advancements that allows millions of people to once again enjoy crisp and clear vision.

Historically, cataracts were common among such ancient peoples as the Sumeri, the Egyptians, and the Indù. Cataracts commonly affect distance vision and cause problems with glare. An estimated 200 million people worldwide have cataracts. Minor lens opacities at birth may never progress to cataract in adulthood, while others progress to a degree requiring surgery or causing blindness. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. About half of Americans older than 65 have some degree of clouding of the lens. Sometimes, protein clumps together, clouding small areas of the lens and blocking some light from reaching the retina. Nuclear cataract occurs when proteins of the nucleus (center) degenerate and darken, causing light to scatter. But as the clouding progresses, the cataract eventually interferes with your vision. Cortical cataract forms when the order of fibers in the cortex is disturbed and the gaps fill with water and debris, thus altering the pathophysiology of light by scattering and/or absorbing it. This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see. A true marvel of modern medicine, cataract surgery may restore vision to levels you may have never thought possible.

Causes of Cataract

The common Causes of Cataract :

• Some cataracts develop at birth or in childhood, often in both eyes.
• A mother may transmit cataracts to her baby during pregnancy if the mother has an infection, such as rubella ( German measles ). 
• Cataracts may be linked to certain other health problems, such as diabetes or steroid use.
• Medications, especially steroids;
• smoking
• Usually, cataracts develop slowly and cause no pain.
• long-term, unprotected exposure to sunlight;
• In its early stages, as the lens changes the way it focuses light, you may become more nearsighted or even experience a temporary improvement in your reading vision.
• unknown factors.

Symptoms of Cataract

Some common Symptoms of Cataract :

• An Orange glow in your vision.
• On looking in a mirror, just behind the pupil, a white cloudy area is seen instead of black.
• Double vision in one eye;
• poor night vision;
• Sensitivity to light and glare
• Needing brighter light to read;
• Changes in the way you see colors, or colors seem faded
• Increased nearsightedness (second sight)
• Poor night vision (especially affected by headlights)
• Frequent increases in eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions
• Halos around lights

Treatment of Cataract

• your child's age, overall health, and medical history
• expectations for the course of the disease
• your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• The most effective treatment is to remove the affected lens surgically and replace it with a new one.
• surgery to remove an enlarged spleen or to install a venous access device (large plastic tube) to give medications and withdraw blood samples.
• Cataract surgery consists of removing the lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens.
• If symptoms from a cataract are mild, prescription glasses may be sufficient to function more comfortably. Surgery is the only way a cataract can be removed and cured.
• There are no medications, dietary supplements or exercises that have been shown to prevent or cure cataracts.
• The cornea is then flapped back into place and stitched down with very fine thread.
• your opinion or preference

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