Cataract is an eye disease characterized by clouding of the lens, which significantly reduces its light–conducting ability, which leads to many ophthalmological diseases, for example, nystagmus, amblyopia, strabismus, decreased visual acuity to the loss of central vision.
In old age, the so–called senile cataract develops – physiological changes in chemical processes in the lens and, as a result, its gradual clouding due to a decrease in trophic.
reasons
Genetics
Various eye injuries, burns, including chemical
Diseases: glaucoma, high degree myopia
Endocrinological diseases, including diabetes
Hyperblowing by ultraviolet, microwave
Long-term drug therapy with any medications
Unfavorable environment
Smoking
Toxic poisoning by gases, technical liquids
Surgical operations on the eye – any touch to the lens provokes rapid clouding.
symptoms
classification
By presence: congenital cataracts (as a complication in intrauterine rubella infection), acquired
In terms of speed: stationary (clouding of the lens can last more than five years), progressive
By type of turbidity: polar, nuclear, filmy, diffuse
Downstream: initial, immature, mature, overripe
The main clinical sign of cataract development is a decrease in visual acuity and a visual defect – whitish spots on the pupil of various shapes and sizes. Depending on the location of the cloudy area of the lens, the decrease in vision will be different. Thus, when the lens is clouded at the edges, the field of vision will decrease, “tubular” vision will develop, and when clouding closer to the center, visual acuity sharply decreases up to hundredths of a fraction and vision loss (only light perception). The surrounding objects are not clearly visible, the borders are blurred, double. Some patients may complain that the world around them has become faded, nondescript, dull. With congenital cataract, a child may develop strabismus, a whitish pupil. Diabetic cataract progresses rapidly, is observed in 1-4% of children, usually bilateral.
CATARACT STAGES
Initial cataract. Visual acuity is normal or slightly reduced.
Immature cataract. Visual acuity is sharply reduced to hundredths of a fraction. On examination, the lens is unevenly cloudy, there is a slight reflex from the bottom.
Mature. Light perception with the correct projection. The lens is uniformly cloudy.
Overripe. Dilution of the lens, destruction of fibers. The lens is smooth milky white.
diagnostics
Determination of visual acuity, visual field, measurement of intraocular pressure (exclude glaucoma), retinal ultrasound, slit lamp examination (cataract maturity).
treatment
The first and second degree of cataracts are treated with medication. Unfortunately, the disease is irreversible, and treatment can only slow down the clouding process. Vitamin drops, multivitamin therapy, vasodilators are prescribed. At the third stage, sometimes already at the second, only surgical treatment is prescribed – cataract extraction, in which artificial dilution of the lens fiber and removal of the contents occurs, while aphakia is observed – the absence of the lens. This condition returns lost vision, but up to hundredths of a second, so lenses + 9 diopters are assigned. Currently, such a condition as artifacia – an artificial lens – an implanted intraocular lens is common, but these are still completely new technologies that require expensive equipment.
