Cataract Symptoms

Cataracts refer changes in visibility of the natural lens inside the eye that slowly affects visual quality. This vision disease may come with different symptoms depending on a variety of factors such as age, injury, and diseases. Usually, people at 60s or 70s suffer this disease while some people have cataracts at birth. Dim, blurry, cloudy, and foggy vision are some impacts of a cataract. Cataract symptoms occur gradually and painlessly, so many people do not realize that they have these symptoms.

In fact, the development of cataract is extremely slow but sometimes it goes faster. Cataracts normally affect the visual quality of both eyes, but in some rare cases cataracts may be found in one eye only. Cataracts are regarded as a very popular visual disease and many cataract surgeries are conducted all over the world every year.

It is very important to understand the cataract symptoms. When people suffer cataracts, they start to have difficulties in doing their daily activities. The difficulties include problems when they are driving at night, reading, participating in sports such as golf, and traveling to unfamiliar areas. A doctor says you suffer cataracts when you are experiencing symptoms like cloudy or foggy vision, blurry or distorted vision, changes in color vision, frequent increases in eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions, poor night vision (especially affected by headlights), progressive loss of vision, halos or glare around lights, double vision, loss of contrast, a white or "milky" spot over the pupil of the eye, cloudy vision, deteriorating vision, and trouble with night vision.

There are some types of cataracts including nuclear cataracts, cortical cataracts, and subcapsular cataracts. Nuclear cataracts attack the center of the lens, so they interfere with a person's ability to see objects in the distance. This type of cataract is usually found among old people. People who have diabetes usually suffer cortical cataracts. Cortical cataracts start at the outer rim of the lens and gradually work toward the central core of the lens. Subcapsular cataracts affect the back of the lens, causing glare and blurriness. This type of cataract is usually seen in patients who use steroids, or who suffer from diabetes or extreme nearsightedness.

Since all of us can suffer cataracts, we have to know how to avoid cataracts. One simple way is wearing sunglasses during the day which can minimize your chances of developing cataracts or having problems with the retina. Some sunglasses can prevent harmful UV light radiation. Another practical way is by consuming vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts to decrease cataract formation even though there is no scientific data that these remedies are effective. Perhaps, a healthy lifestyle might help. We should eat a proper diet, get regular exercise and rest, and stop smoking.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

By: Mario Santos