What is a cataract?
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A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that affects vision. A normal lens is clear. It lets light pass to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. As a cataract develops, it becomes harder for a person to see. Vision may become cloudy or blurry, and colors may fade. Most people have a cataract in both eyes. One eye may be worse than the other, however, because each cataract develops at a different rate. Some people with a cataract don’t even know it. Their cataract may be small, or the changes in their vision may not bother them very much. Other people cannot see well enough to do the things they need or want to do.
A cataract is a painless, cloudy area in the lens of the eye that blocks the passage of light to the retina. The retina is the nerve layer at the back of the eye. The nerve cells in the retina detect light entering the eye and send nerve signals to the brain about what the eye sees. Because cataracts block this light, they can cause vision problems. See a picture of a cataract.
View of an eye with a Cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye. A normal lens is clear and focuses light into the back of the eye (see right photo). When a cataract develops some of this light is blocked out and or scattered. As this cataract develops, it becomes harder for a person to see. Cataracts are a normal part of aging. About half of Americans ages 65 to 74 have cataracts. Over 90 percent of those age 75 and over have this condition. Most people with cataracts have a cataract in both eyes. However, one eye may be worse than the other because each cataract develops at a different rate. View of an eye after Cataract surgery Some people with cataract don’t even know it. Their cataract may be small, or the changes in their vision may not bother them much. Other people who have cataracts cannot see well enough to do the things they need or want to do.
Just behind the iris is the focusing system of the eye. It consists of a flexible lens with muscle tissue attached to the lens around it’s periphery. When viewing an object up close, this muscle contracts to change the shape of the lens. This focuses the eye automatically and in a normal eye it functions whenever we view an object closer than 20 feet. In addition to the lens loosing it’s elasticity over time, it can also loose it’s clarity. A lens that has lost it’s clarity and turned opaque is called a cataract. As a cataract develops, it interferes with or prevents light from reaching the back of the eye. Cataracts are so comman that it is safe to say that most of us will have them if we live long enough. Fortunately, they are easily taken care of today. This typically consists of a short five minute surgical proceedure in which the old lens is removed and an artificial one put in it’s place. If there are no other age related conditions present, such as macular degeneration, vision i
