What is a cataract? 

Cloudiness over the natural lens of the eye, which sites in back of the iris and pupil is an eye disease known as CATARACTS.

Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss for people over forty.  In fact, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness throughout the world.  More cases of cataracts are diagnosed worldwide than diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma put together.  There are currently more than twenty-two million Americans over forty with cataracts which is expected to grow to over thirty million by the year 2020.

The Three Types of Cataracts

Subcapsular Cataracts: Subcapsular cataracts often affect people with diabetes or those taking high doses of steroid medication.  This type of cataract occurs at the back of the lens.

Nuclear Cataracts: Nuclear cataracts are most often associated with aging and are located deep within the central zone, nucleus, of the lens.

Cortical Cataracts: Cortical cataracts start in the periphery of the lens and work toward the middle like the spoke of a wheel.  This type of cataract occurs in the lens cortex.  The lens cortex is the part of the lens that surrounds the center nucleus.

The Signs and Symptoms of Cataracts

At first a cataract has very little effect on your vision as it starts out small.  Your vision may appear a bit hazy or blurred at first, as if you are looking at life through a cloud.  If you start to notice you are seeing things a bit blurrier than you once did it may be time to have your eyes tested to see if your vision issues are caused by cataracts.

When you have a cataract light of all kinds, natural and artificial, may appear intense.  When you are driving at night the headlight may glare more vividly than they previously had been seen.  Depending on the type of cataracts that you have could determine the symptoms you have and when they will start to appear.  When the most common cataract, nuclear, first begins to develop a temporary improvement in your close-up vision may occur.   This is often referred to as “second site.”  This vision improvement only occurs for a short period of time and disappears as the cataract continues to develop.  Subcapsular cataracts, on the other hand, may not produce symptoms until it has developed completely.

To diagnosis cataracts you must schedule an appointment to meet with your ophthalmologist.  Once they have completed a thorough eye exam they can suggest a treatment option, surgical or not.

Rohr Eye & Laser Center offers the most advanced technology available to suit your lifestyle and visual needs.  As a leader in laser vision correction and cataract surgery, our goal is to help you achieve the best vision possible without glasses or contact lenses.  More information can be found online at https://michiganlasik.com.