Cataracts and things you need to know

What is a cataract? Cataracts (cataracts, dry cataracts) are a common disease in older people. The lens is a transparent, biconvex lens. The lens is an important component that helps light pass through, helping light rays focus properly on the retina. The focusing power of the vitreous body plays an important role in the refractive system, helping the image focus to focus properly on the retina when looking at a distance. The ability to change the thickness of the lens, called accommodation, helps the eye see nearby objects clearly. When this transparency is lost, the vitreous body will become opaque and light will have difficulty passing through. Patients experience visual impairment, blurred vision, color blind test and even blindness. What are the signs of cataracts? Vision loss is the most important symptom. Usually, blurred vision on both sides is quite symmetrical. Cataracts affect central vision, starting with blurred vision when looking at a distance. Near vision is also affected, except for a special type of opacification, subcapsular opacities behind the lens. The degree of vision loss depends on the progression of the disease. In the early stages, about 1/10 of vision will be lost. When the disease is most severe, the patient can only perceive light. Cataract increases its focusing ability. This is why some elderly people with cataracts read newspapers without wearing glasses. Besides, some patients have double vision, seeing many objects at once, or their vision is blurred, like in a fog. This phenomenon is due to the cloudy lens causing the light rays passing through it to scatter. In some other patients, there are strange-sounding symptoms, such as when going out in bright light, vision is poor, but when going indoors or in the shade, vision is better. These are patients with central cataracts. When exposed to sunlight or bright light, the pupils shrink. The light reaches the retina by passing through the central cloudy area. When in low-light conditions, such as indoors or in the shade, the pupil will dilate wider, so light can easily pass through the unclouded edge of the lens, allowing the patient to see the image more clearly. For patients who are only opaque in the periphery and the central area is still clear, the symptoms will be the opposite. There are also some other symptoms, such as black dots in the eyes and flies flying in front of the eyes, that can also be signs of cataracts. Treatment of cataracts Cataract is a dangerous disease, so it needs to be treated promptly. Until now, it has been very difficult for synthetic pharmaceutical drugs to clear the lens again. In cases of early-stage cataracts that do not require surgery, doctors will supplement some vitamins, such as C, A, and E, and some other active ingredients, to slow down the progression of cataracts. can. Increase indoor lighting and avoid direct exposure to sunlight and dust. If you must go out often, you should take eye protection measures such as wearing sunglasses or a wide hat. Besides, it is necessary to have a reasonable lifestyle and not smoke. Supplement vitamins C, E, A, lutein, zinc, and zeaxanthin are found in green vegetables, cereals, fruits, fish, etc. Limit eating fried or greasy foods; limit eating sweets. Currently, the most effective method of treating cataracts is still surgery. Surgical methods have existed for nearly two centuries, but placing intraocular lenses (artificial lenses) is a new method, proposed in 1949. This field of surgery is applying new achievements in ophthalmology as well as other supporting sciences, so there has been great progress in the past 20 years. Nowadays, phacoemusification surgery (Phaco surgery technique) is increasingly popular and is the best cataract treatment method. Its advantages are that the incision is small, vision is quickly restored, complications are few, and the patient can quickly return to normal life. Although current phaco surgeries only last about 5 to 10 minutes, cataract surgery is classified as a major surgery because it is an intraocular surgery and directly affects vision.