Cataract is a cloudy or opaque area in the lens of the eye. Cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. Cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other. Cataracts may be present at or shortly after birth. These are called congenital cataracts. Cataracts are classified of three types primary is nuclear cataract is most commonly seen as it forms. This cataract forms in the nucleus, the center of the lens, and is due to natural aging changes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other.

The natural lens is made up of tissue basically similar to hair and skin. Just as your hair and skin ages and turns gray or wrinkles, your lens changes with age. The change is a discoloration or opacity that causes the lens to get cloudier and more difficult to see through. It is not a growth but rather a natural change in the material that makes up the lens. Just as with hair or skin, this can occur at different ages in different people. Some young people can have cataracts, just like some people prematurely gray.

Causes of Cataract

The common Causes of Cataract:

Alcoholism

Trauma

Metabolic disorders

Aging

Smoking

Use of steroids

Heredity

Exposure to radiation

Diabetes

Symptoms of Cataract

Some Symptoms of Cataract:

Increasing difficulty with vision at night.

Cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, or filmy vision

Loss of color intensity.

Frequent changes in eyeglass prescription.

Fading or yellowing of colors.

Sensitivity to glare from lamps or the sun.

Halos around lights.

Double vision in one eye.

Treatment of Cataract

The only treatment for cataract is surgery to remove it. Cataract surgery is very successful in restoring vision. In fact, it is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States, with over 1.5 million cataract surgeries done each year. There are 2 types of surgery that can be used to remove lenses that have a cataract First is Extracapsular surgery consists of surgically removing the lens, but leaving the back half of the capsule (the outer covering of the lens) whole. High-frequency sound waves (phacoemulsification) may be used to soften the lens to help removing it through a smaller cut second is Intracapsular surgery involves surgically removing the entire lens, including the capsule.

Cataract surgery consists of removing the lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens. A cataract surgeon will discuss the options with the patient, and together they will decide which type of removal and lens replacement is best. Eye care practitioners recommend undertaking of surgery and removal of lens when the formation of cataract is complete. The surgery is founding to be triumphant in restoring vision. Here in the defective and foggy lens is taken out and replaced with a clear, plastic intraocular lens (IOL) which behave akin to a natural yet fresh lens.

Read About Cataract Treatment and also Read about Chafing Treatment

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