Cataract: what it is and how to get rid of it

The clouding of the lens of the eye due to the accumulation of protein in it in medicine is called cataract. What is this, we will discuss in more detail in today's article, considering the causes of the onset of the disease and the methods of its treatment.

How the eye works

Our organ of vision works like a camera: the rays of light, entering the eye, pass through its cornea and the intraocular fluid located in the front of the eye and appear in the pupil, which acts as an objective. In it, the rays are refracted, passing through the lens and focusing on the retina lining the posterior part of the organ of vision. From there, the image in the form of a pulse enters through the cells of the retina to the optic nerve and, finally, to the back of the brain, which is designed to process the signal, forming it as a "picture".

In order for what was seen to be clear, absolutely transparent lens of the eye is needed. Any disturbance in the form of its turbidity leads to blurring of the image, and in severe cases the patient can only distinguish light and color.

The method of cataract formation is divided into several types.

Age-related cataract: what is it?

Among ophthalmic diseases, the most common is age cataract. Its main clinical manifestation is clouding of the lens (partial or complete).

This pathology affects half of people aged after 75 years and becomes the cause of vision deterioration and even its loss. Everything depends on the localization of turbidity. With peripheral visual acuity does not suffer, but the closer to the center of the lens the pathology progresses, the more serious the changes in vision in a person.

Congenital cataract: what is it?

Lenticular insertion occurs in the first weeks of fetal development. And if this process is broken for some reason, an inborn cataract can develop.

Similar problems usually arise in connection with the genetic predisposition, the use of alcohol by the mother, the effect of certain medications, viral infections (rubella, influenza, chicken pox, etc.), the presence of diabetes in the pregnant woman and other negative factors.

Diabetic cataract: what is it?

With complicated diabetes mellitus, diabetic cataracts can develop. It is also characterized by the cloudiness of the lens: either uniform or "flakes" - due to changes in the state of the lens caused by the compounds that accumulate in it as a result of rising sugar levels. The patient, as a rule, feels at the same time a "cloudy glass" in front of his eyes, which prevents him from performing daily activities.

Treatment of cataracts

Experts say that cataracts are a serious disease, but modern medicine has developed a technique to combat it. This is a surgical intervention: the implantation of an artificial lens, which is performed under local anesthesia and is well tolerated by patients of any age. But it is necessary to do this only under the condition that the vision is not completely lost.

Prevention of cataracts

Proven ways to prevent this disease does not exist. You can only adhere to some general principles: to protect your eyesight, protecting your eyes from the sun with dark glasses or a wide-brimmed hat, not smoking, restricting the use of alcohol and monitoring the level of sugar in the blood.

Be healthy!