Clearer Vision: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment of Cataracts

Posted: 8/16/2012 11:15 AM by Interim HealthCare
The lens of your eye is made mostly of water and protein. Aging can cause proteins in the lens to accumulate and create a cloudy area on the eye, which prevents light from passing through. This cloudy area on the lens is a cataract. The size of cataracts can vary and will determine how your vision is affected.
 
Symptoms of cataracts include:
  • Painless cloudy, blurry or dim vision
  • More difficulty seeing at night or in low light
  • Sensitivity to light and glare
  • Seeing halos around lights
  • Faded or yellowed colors
  • The need for brighter light for reading and other activities
  • Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription
  • Double vision within one eye 
Cataracts are diagnosed through a dilated eye exam. Using eye drops, your ophthalmologist will widen the pupil of your eye. This allows the doctor to see your eye’s lens and determine if there is any evidence of a cataract developing.
 
Generally, cataracts are a result of aging, however there are three other less common causes—congenital, non-age related and traumatic. Congenital cataracts can be hereditary or linked to birth defects and occur in infants and children. Non-age related cataracts are linked to other eye problems, including previous eye surgeries or even chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Finally, traumatic cataracts are a consequence of an injury and can develop immediately or months, even years, later.
 
The most common treatment for cataracts is surgery. It is an outpatient procedure that does not require an overnight hospital stay. During the surgery, your ophthalmologist will remove the eye’s lens and replace it with an artificial lens implant known as an intraocular lens (IOL).
 
After surgery, you will have to use prescribed eye drops to promote healing, wear an eye shield when sleeping and special wrap sunglasses in bright light, avoid eye rubbing and strenuous activity for a period of time. Interim HealthCare’s Personal Care and Private Duty services can assist you after your cataract surgery with medication reminders, light housekeeping and errands while you recover.
 
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