Histology

    Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of eyes. Clouded vision caused by cataracts can make it more difficult to read, drive a car (especially at night).

Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up eye's lens.Some cataracts are related to inherited genetic disorders that cause other health problems and increase the risk of cataracts. Cataracts can also be caused by other eye conditions, medical conditions such as diabetes, trauma or past eye surgery. Long-term use of steroid medications, too, can cause cataracts to develop.

The lens, where cataracts form, is positioned behind the iris. The lens focuses light that passes into eye, producing clear, sharp images on the retina, the light-sensitive membrane on the back inside wall of the eyeball that functions like the film of a camera.

A cataract scatters the light as it passes through the lens, preventing a sharply defined image from reaching your retina. As a result, vision becomes blurred.

Symptoms:

·         Clouded, blurred or dim vision

·         Increasing difficulty with vision at night

·         Sensitivity to light and glare

·         Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription

·         Fading or yellowing of colors

·         Double vision in a single eye

The only effective treatment for cataracts is surgery.