What You Should Know about Cataracts: Cataract Awareness Month

June is Cataract Awareness Month, and as the most common cause of vision loss and the leading cause of blindness around the world, we want to share some important facts about cataracts with you.

​Here are eight (8) important things you should know.   

1. What Is a Cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye that affects vision. The lens is the clear water and protein filled part of our eye that focuses light (images) onto the light sensitive area of the back of the eye called the retina, as well as allows us to focus on objects up close and far away (much like a camera lens). As we age, the lens protein clumps and causes the lens to become more and more cloudy. As the clumps grow larger and cloud more of the lens, the light that would normally pass through the lens to the retina is diffused (spread) or reduced and cannot reach the retina normally, thereby affecting vision.
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You might recognize cataracts if you’ve seen older people or animals with eyes that appear cloudy. Cataracts are typically related to the natural aging process and found in older people. Often they gradually progress over time, beginning in our 40s and 50s and worsening over the decades. Most cataracts will start to cause vision problems sometime after the age of 60. These are known as age-related cataracts.
 
Cataracts can occur in one or both eyes. As they develop independently, cataracts cannot spread from one eye to the other. 
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2. Are There Other Types of Cataracts Besides Age-Related Cataracts?

There are several other types of cataracts, which are important to know, including:

• Secondary Cataract: These can develop after eye surgery for another eye problem such as glaucoma or in people with other health conditions such as diabetes. They can also be linked to steroid use in some cases.
• Traumatic Cataract: These develop after an eye injury. In some cases, it can take years after the initial injury or trauma for a traumatic cataract to develop.
• Congenital Cataract: Some babies are born with this type of cataract, and some children develop them in childhood. Often these develop in both eyes, and if they affect vision, may need to be surgically treated by an eye surgeon who specializes in pediatric ophthalmology. 
• Radiation Cataract: These can form after exposure to certain types of radiation, such as ionization radiation from x-rays and cancer radiation therapy.

 
Understanding other conditions, incidences, and exposures that can lead to cataracts and awareness of cataracts in newborns, infants, and young children is important for awareness, early detection, and proper monitoring and treatment. 
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3. How Do Cataracts Affect Vision?

As cataracts progress, they cause vision to become increasingly dull or blurry and seeing to become more difficult. Further, a cataract can cause the lens the normally clear lens to become yellowish or brownish with aging, which can cause vision to gradually acquire a yellowish or brownish shade or tint.
 
Most people will not notice vision changes due to cataracts early on in their development. As cataracts progress, vision changes will become more and more noticeable and may become problematic, interfering with normal, everyday activities. In our next blog post in this series, we’ll talk about when it’s time to consider cataract treatment (surgery).

4. What Are the Symptoms of Cataract?

Most commonly, people with cataracts experience one or more of the following:

• Cloudy, blurry, or “dim” vision
• Colors that seem faded or tinted yellowish or brownish
• Glare or halo from headlights, lamps or other sources of light or increasing sensitivity to light, such as sunlight that appears too bright
• Increasing difficulty seeing at night, particularly driving at night
• Double vision or multiple images in one eye
• Need for frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions

 
Many of these symptoms are not unique to cataracts. If you have any of these symptoms, please contact us immediately. While cataracts are not an eye emergency, these symptoms may be signs of a more serious eye condition and should be checked by an eye doctor.
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5. How Is a Cataract Detected?

Cataracts are detected through a complete eye exam, including:

• Visual Acuity Test, which determines how well you see at various distances
• Dilated Eye Exam, which allows your eye doctor to see the back of your eye, including your retina and optic nerve, once your pupils have been dilated with special drops
• Tonometry, which tests the pressure in your eye

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6. Who Is at Risk for a Cataract?

Earlier we addressed a number of risk factors for developing cataracts, including:

• Aging
• Previous eye surgery
• Certain diseases such as diabetes
• Prolonged steroid / corticosteroid use
• Previous eye injury or trauma
• Exposure to ionizing radiation

 
In addition to these risks, the following increase the risk of developing cataracts:

• Drinking alcohol in excess
• Excessive exposure to sunlight
• Family history of cataracts
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Smoking

 
Generally, protecting your health and your eyes goes hand-in-hand. Living a healthy lifestyle can minimize your risk of developing cataracts and other vision threatening conditions. 
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7. How Common Are Cataracts?

Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States and affect more than 24 million Americans aged 40 and older. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), approximately half of all Americans have cataracts by the age of 75. And according to the National Eye Institute (NEI), by the time Americans reach 80, more than half will either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.

8. How Are Cataracts Treated?

While cataracts can only be treated surgically, the symptoms of early cataracts may be improved with conservative treatment. New prescriptions, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, and magnifying lenses can be used to improve vision early in the development of cataracts. Once cataracts are advanced, the only option is surgical removal.
 
With more than 3 million cataract surgeries preformed each year in the United States and more than 20 million each year worldwide, cataract surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures. Recent advances in cataract surgery have allowed for smaller incisions and improved outcomes. Thankfully, the AAO states, “The success rate of cataract surgery is excellent. Improved vision is achieved in the majority of patients if other vision-limiting problems are not present.” 

As cataracts are so prevalent and cataract surgery is so common, we’ll dedicate the rest of our blog posts in this Cataract Awareness Month series to surgery to these related subjects:

• Post 2: Is It Time for Cataract Surgery?
• Post 3: 7 Ways to Slow the Development of Cataracts Today and Everyday
• Post 4: What Is Small Incision Cataract Surgery and Is It Right For Me? 

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Learn More about Cataracts

Watch this series of short video clips to learn more about cataracts, symptoms, and treatment: 
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View Video

Have Symptoms of or Risk Factors Associated with Cataracts?

​If you or a loved one has any of the symptoms described above or would like to discuss your risk of developing cataracts, please call us today to schedule an appointment.