Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it. But as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.

Cataract signs and symptoms

An early cataract will have little effect on your vision. A cataract may make light from the sun or a lamp seem too bright or glaring. Or you may notice when you drive at night that the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before.

What causes a cataract?

No one knows for sure why the eye's lens changes as we age, forming cataracts. Some studies suggest people with diabetes are at risk for developing a cataract. The same goes for users of steroids. Some people are born with cataracts while other people develop them subsequently to trauma to the eye.

Cataract treatment

When symptoms begin to appear, you may be able to improve your vision for a while using new glasses, strong bifocals, magnification, appropriate lighting or other visual aids. Think about surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision. During surgery, the surgeon will remove your clouded lens, and in most cases replace it with a clear, plastic intraocular lens.