What is a cataract?
Cataracts, also colloquially called curtains or whites, are blurry or dense areas that form in the eye lens. The lens of the eye is behind the iris and pupil. Its function is to ensure the formation of images on the retina, which covers the inner surface of the back of the eye and is sensitive to light. If the lens begins to become cloudy, vision may be impaired as the passage of rays will be blocked.
The loss of transparency of the lens, located just behind the pupil, is called a cataract.
When cataracts occur, a change occurs in the chemical composition of the lens. However, the reasons for this chemical change are not yet fully known. Cataracts that occur in old age are the most well-known. However, this type of cataract is also seen in people aged fifty or even younger. Cataracts can also occur with diabetes, other system diseases, drugs and eye injuries. While babies can be born with hereditary cataracts, cataracts can also form in the first years of their lives.
A cataract affects vision:
1) Its size
2) Its density,
3) It depends on where it occurs in the lens.
Complaints that the patient may notice may be:
Foggy, hazy, blurred vision, sometimes double vision; However, as cataract progresses, this situation usually disappears.
There is a need to change eyeglass lenses frequently. However, when cataracts exceed a certain point, changing lenses cannot improve vision.
Feeling as if there is a film on the eyes, seeing as if looking through a veil or a waterfall... The person with cataracts blinks his eyes frequently to see better. .
Change in the color of the pupil, which is usually black... When examining the eye, the pupil may appear grey, yellow or white, but these changes may not always be noticeable.
Light problems, such as driving at night, become increasingly common. It becomes difficult because the hazy part of the lens scatters the oncoming headlight rays and causes them to appear double or dazzle the eye. Likewise, a person with cataracts complains about not being able to find enough light while reading or doing close work.
“second opinion”: In some people, cataracts reach a certain level. Once they arrive, they find temporary reading comfort. As cataracts develop, vision begins to deteriorate again. None of these symptoms prove that a person has a cataract or mean that the cataract needs to be removed. However, a person with any of these symptoms should definitely consult an ophthalmologist.
Who should have cataract surgery? When should cataract surgery be performed?
When vision impairment progresses to the point that it disrupts a person's daily life, cataracts must be removed surgically. If the cataract has fully matured and become opaque like frosted glass, it should be treated more urgently. It is possible for a mature cataract to swell and even disperse within the eye. Such changes pose the danger of permanent loss of vision.
In congenital cataracts, surgery must be performed immediately whenever vision is blocked. Apart from this, situations requiring urgent cataract surgery are very rare. Let's not forget that cataracts often progress after they start. But the pace of progress is often slow and we cannot predict it. The patient must determine the timing of cataract surgery. The duty of the physician is to determine how much of the patient's vision complaints are due to cataracts and to inform the patient.
A taxi driver who has to drive his car even at night and an elderly person who does not leave his house much are the same for early surgery. They cannot be as willing.
Visual acuity is not the only criterion for the necessity of cataract surgery. Many patients may not complain about poor visual acuity. Or they report that although their visual acuity is good, they are very uncomfortable in different light conditions. While there are patients who say that they see less on the street on sunny days, there are also many patients who complain that car headlights and street lamps shine and reflect excessively at night, darkening their world. One of the visual complaints of cataracts is the gray tone and loss of contrast between colors. Since this process takes a long time, the patient may not perceive this change in bilateral eye cataracts. Failure to recognize bumps or potholes may cause them to have accidents while descending stairs or crossing thresholds. ir. The ophthalmologist warns his patients in this regard and asks the patient to make a decision.
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