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Can cataract lead to blindness?

Cataract is common eye defect affecting majority of population and yes, it can lead to blindness if timely treatment is not done. Most of the affected people are above 40 years of age and rarely it is seen in young people. However due to some eye injury or congenital issues, it can affect people with younger age group as well. But good news is that cataract is treatable.

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Can cataract lead to blindness?

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  1. Cataract is common eye defect affecting majority of population and yes, it can lead to blindness if timely treatment is not done. Most of the affected peopleareabove40yearsofageand rarelyitis seen inyoungpeople. • However due to some eye injury or congenital issues, it can affect people withyoungeragegroupaswell.But good newsisthatcataract istreatable. • Whatiscataract? • Oureyeworkslikeacamera andanimageisformed,whenlightpasses through thelensandisfocusedon theretina,whichactslikeascreenand the nerve present in the retina passes the information to the brain and is perceivedas anobject seen throughoureyes.Nowconsiderascenario,in which thelensisfoggyandyouareunabletotakethepictureclearly,and that iswhathappensin apatientwithacataract.With age, cataractaffects oneorboth eyesat different timeinterval. • Clumping ofproteinspresent in thelensformsadot likestructure in its centralbackportion.This causes obstructionoftheimageandleadsto various eyesymptoms like: • Blurredvision • Doublevision • Cloudyvision • Decreaseddepthofcolours • Nightvisionimpairment • At young age, it is difficult to notice cataract effects, but by 60 to 70 years of age, cataract changes are visible enough but are still ignored by some people.Ifcataractisleftuntreated foralongperiod, it causes irreversible damageto eyesight. Can cataractlead to blindness?

  2. DoIneedcataractsurgeryimmediately? When you visit your eye doctor, he examines for clarity of vision, function of eye muscles and pupil reaction in the eye. Not all cases of cataract need immediate surgery as cataracts are of various types and need to be treated accordingly. Congenital cataract –Incaseofnewbornandyoungchildrenaffected with cataract, genetic or intrauterine infection play an important causative factor.Thesekindofcases shouldbetreatedimmediatelyupondetection. Nuclear cataracts – It is usually slow and patients sometime notice improved reading vision. However it is a temporary effect. Gradually with timethecolorofthelenschanges toyellow orbrownandvision reduces forboth farandnear. Cortical cataracts–Itusually startsonthe outeredgeofthelenscortex as a streak of opacity and elongates to the center blocking the light passingthrough thelens through itscenter. PosteriorSubcapsularcataracts–Itisa fastervariantandismanifested asasmall opaqueareaon thebackofthelensand interfereswith thepath oflight.Itreducesvision inbright lightandcausesglareandorhalos aroundlights at night. Every individual case is different and few cases show that both eyes cataract of a patient may be at a different stage, so one eye may need surgery right away and other eye might need surgery at a later date. Some patientswaitfortheconditiontoreach at thevergeoflosingeyesightand then goforthecataract surgerywhichmaypredisposetocomplications.

  3. Hence, it is recommended that if you want to enjoy reading, watching television and other daily activities without problems, visit an eye doctor regularlyto check fordevelopmentofcataract and its timelytreatment. Iscataractsurgerypainful? Afterdiagnosingeyeproblems,patientisadvisedforeyeglasses,contact lenses, surgery and medication, depending on the stage of the issue. With therecentadvancesandlaser assistedsurgeries, cataract surgeryis oneof themostcommon eyecareprocedures,and hasbecomeafastand painless procedure. Patient is awake during the whole procedure and is very comfortableduring thetreatmentwithfasterrecovery. Cataract surgery involves a key hole opening made and the clouded lens is replacedwithanartificialintraocularlens.Artificiallensiseithera monofocaloramultibifocalorTrifocalone. Duringthesurgerypatientis given topicalorlocalanaesthesiaandaftertheprocedurepatientcango home immediately on the same day. It is a daycare procedure. Most of the patientsexperience animprovedvisionwithinthe first24-48hours,while few casesshow improved visionwithina weeks time. Treatmentoutcomeisalwaysgoodwhenthepatientis treated at early stages.Earlydiagnosisand treatmentnotonlygivesbetterresultsbut also prevents patientfromdevelopingdiseaseslikesquintand glaucoma. Toscheduleanappointmentwithoneofourexpertsor toknowmore about our various corrective and treatment modalities, feel free to contact usat+912261549999orvisit ourclinic at RoselandBuilding, Junctionof LinkingRoadandWaterfieldRoad,Bandra,Mumbai-400050.India.

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