In this article we will get acquainted with the answer to the question of what is cataract of the eye? In particular, attention will be given to the definition of a medical term. Also, questions of cataract treatment, its diagnosis and symptoms, various stages of the disease-causing factors and some drops that are used in the fight against cataract will be considered. We pay a little attention to historical data for general familiarization.
Introduction
Cataract of the eye is a condition of a pathological nature, which is associated with the eye lens, namely with its clouding. This disease leads to various disorders that manifest to varying degrees, up to the absolute loss of vision. So answering the question of what it is - cataract of the eye, we can define it as a disease that affects the lens.
There are a large number of factors that can lead to cataracts. This may be due to the effects of radiation, trauma, a certain number of diseases (for example, diabetes). The denaturation of the protein that is part of the eye, namely the lens, is a physical factor that causes clouding.
Over 90% of cases of the onset of the disease are due to age. After 60 years, more than 50% of people begin to decrease the transparency of the lens, and after 80 and older, almost a hundred percent. Also, cataracts are the main cause of blindness (up to 50% of cases).
Symptoms and diagnosis
Answering the question about what it is - cataract of the eye, it is impossible to ignore the point on the manifestations of this disease.
Among the possible symptoms of cataracts, the main thing is a decrease in visual acuity. However, the place where the clouding begins causes two different phenomena, in one of which the deterioration of the ability of visual analyzers may not be observed (if the disease began to affect the peripheral vision), and in the second it will be noticeable (if there is an effect on the central part of the lens). Degradation of vision will significantly increase with the approach of cataract to the center of the eye. The disease can lead to myopia (if the lens core is affected). This reason makes people with cataracts often replace glasses with varying degrees of “plus” with lenses. If the ailment is swelling, then the lens will become more saturated white.
With cataracts of the eye, there may be an increased or decreased sensitivity to light. If the disease is congenital, then in a child it can lead to strabismus, the presence of white pupils, and a decrease in visual abilities (the latter can be found during the use of silent toys in the absence of reaction to them).
When conducting diagnostic procedures, check the indicator of visual acuity, the breadth of its field. The value of intraocular pressure is also measured, a number of ultrasound and electrophysiological studies of the retina and optic nerves are performed.
The use of slit lamps allows the doctor to determine the maturity of the cataract and the degree of clouding of the lens. Among other things, sometimes additional examination is required to detect the presence of other possible visual disturbances (exfoliation of retinal tissues, glaucoma, etc.).
"Watch the eyes"
Signs of cataracts of the eyes can vary among themselves and vary, which is caused by the presence of several degrees of the disease, however, the main ones should include:
- Doubling in one eye at the time of closing of the second (an early sign that will disappear as the disease progresses).
- Fuzzy image display and blurry images that are not corrected through the use of glasses or lenses. There is a feeling of a veil covering everything around.
- A person notices glare and / or flare (more often observed at night).
- The increased light sensitivity of the visual analyzer at night (the light source seems annoying and too bright).
- When trying to consider a light source, a person can observe halos around it.
- Violation of the perception of colors (their blanching). It is most difficult for a cataract patient to perceive violet and blue colors, as well as their shades.
- Temporary improvement in visual abilities. An example is the rejection of glasses by a patient who previously wore them.
- The constant need to change glasses can be another reason to think about cataracts.
Signs of specific types of disease
The doctor knows what to do with cataracts of the eye. However, to begin with, a specialist needs to establish an accurate diagnosis.
The first sign that the ophthalmologist draws attention to is the age of the patient who visited him. The clinical course of cataracts has many characteristic features, in particular, clouding of the lens. Most often, it has a grayish color, less often with a shade of white. Clouding can begin to develop in different parts of the lens, which allows the doctor to draw conclusions about the type of cataract and its stage.
There is a relationship between the type of ailment and the clinical picture that the ophthalmologist will observe:
- A white spot with clearly defined boundaries indicates the development of anterior cataract. If it takes a pointed and extended shape, then it is called the pyramidal front.
- Clouding in the area of the posterior pole of the lens, presented in the form of a ball, painted in white, indicates the presence of polar cataract.
- The characteristics of the central cataract are similar to spherical, however, opacities are located right in the center and reach 2 mm in diameter.
- A spindle-shaped cataract is determined by a shape that resembles a thin spindle located in the central part of the lens.
- Congenital cataracts of the zonular type can be recognized by the characteristic turbid nucleus and the transparent layers located in it.
- A dense soft cataract is characterized by clouding of the entire lens and liquefaction of its masses. In the future, a "bag" is formed.
- Diabetic cataract is determined by the appearance of white opacities on the surface of the lens, taking the form of flakes. Often leads to a change in the iris.
- Tetanic cataract is diabetic in signs, but it is located initially under the lens capsule and subsequently spreads into the thickness of the cortical layers (problems with the thyroid gland).
- Toxic cataract can be recognized by the appearance of opacities, which are centralized under the lens capsule. In the future, they will begin to spread to the cortical layers.
- The senile form of cataract can be determined by many signs, and it may depend on the level to which the disease has managed to reach.
Cataract eye disease is usually diagnosed using the above information. However, there are other features of the disease, which most often only a specialist knows about.
Ways to fight
How is eye cataract treated and what is used during the procedures?
Currently, there is only one effective method for eliminating cataracts. It is a surgical intervention, during which the removal of a clouded lens is performed. Every year, over twenty million operations of this kind are carried out around the world, and about half a million on the territory of Russia. What does a specialist do for eye cataracts? The lens is the main object of manipulation. It will be replaced by a special artificial lens of the intraocular type.
Phacoemulsification surgery is the most common and traumatic procedure to date. It is really possible to carry out it even on an outpatient basis, but this should be done by a specialist with experience. Phacoemulsification has no age categories and restrictions.
All patients with diagnosed cataracts should be consulted by an ophthalmic surgeon. A specialist will help determine the time frame within which you need to fix the problem. This procedure is safe and allows you to return to your normal lifestyle right away.
Treatment of cataracts in an uncomplicated case involves local drip anesthesia without the use of acupuncture. Next, the surgeon makes a micro incision (1.8-2.8 mm). The tip of the phacoemulsifier is introduced into the micro-incision space, which performs oscillatory movements with the speed of ultrasound. Using this procedure, the mass of the lens is converted into an emulsion fluid. Then it is displayed.
Replacement of the lens of the eye with cataracts is performed in the next step. Instead, an intraocular lens (IOL) is implanted . The micro-section is tightened independently without seams. The procedure is painless.
Modern technical capabilities allow a person to not only restore lost vision, but also to correct with corneal astigmatism, as well as eliminate dependence on glasses.
How are cataracts treated except for the aforementioned method?
There is also femtolaser surgery, which has recently begun to be widely introduced. Her methods make it possible to obtain predictable results. Femtolaser surgery is currently a fairly expensive technology.
Eye cataract treatment in clinical trials using eye drops is performed on animals. Such a medicine should hypothetically slow down the rate of spread of the problem. The active substance is lanosterol. It dissolves protein clusters in the thickness of the lens. However, there is still no good reason to be sure of the effectiveness of such a tool.
Contributing factors
There are many causes of eye cataracts. Among them are the following:
- Diabetes mellitus factor.
- The factor of smoking and drinking.
- Some eye injuries.
- Taking corticosteroids.
- Long exposure to light rays on the surface of the eyeball.
- The age factor leads to a decrease in the level of antioxidants and a deterioration in the body's ability to fight natural toxins.
- The phenomenon of retinal detachment, iridocyclitis, chorioretinitis, Fuchs syndrome and some other diseases, as well as metabolic processes that occur in the lens, can lead to cataracts.
- Severe infections factor. An example is the following diseases: typhoid, smallpox, malaria and others.
- Anemia.
- Poisoning by substances with toxic effects. Among them, for example, thallium or naphthalene.
- Some skin diseases such as eczema, neurodermatitis, etc.
- The third degree of myopia.
- The factor of heredity.
- Down's disease.
- Labor activity in workshops with high temperatures.
Poor ecology and radiation can also be factors that can lead to cataracts.
Transformation of ailment
Initial cataracts of the eye are often subtle, but when obvious symptoms appear, it is recommended that you immediately contact an ophthalmologist. The doctor will be able to identify the level of complications that could develop in the fundus, using special drops. Previously, the pupil will be dilated. Lack of proper treatment will allow the disease to progress, and in the future will lead to serious complications, up to a complete loss of the ability to see. Also, if you do not treat cataracts, then you can begin to suffer from increased intracranial pressure and the development of glaucoma. The optic nerve dies, and nerve impulses entering the brain to analyze information no longer radiate.
Statistics show that 12% of cataract patients are prone to rapid progression of the disease. This leads to an absolute clouding of the lens. About 15% of patients lose their sight within fifteen years. The predominant number of people needs the intervention of an ophthalmic surgeon for 7-10 years. Replacing the lens of the eye with cataracts is a painless procedure, and the fear of the upcoming operation is completely groundless. For a trained doctor, this is a simple manipulation.
Cataracts include the following stages:
- Anterior and posterior capsular.
- The perinuclear layered.
- Nuclear.
- Cork.
- Complete.
Cataracts can be immature. In this case, clouding will be located on the imaginary central part of the lens. There is a loss of visual acuity. The movement of such a cataract is directed into the thickness of the central optical zone.
An overripe cataract is characterized by a milky white color of the lens, the color change of which occurs due to the dilution of the substance that forms it.
Probable complications
If you fail to diagnose cataracts of the eye in time, and also do not eliminate it, then this can lead to the following problems:
- Complete blindness, or amaurosis, which progresses slowly. Amaurosis is a state of absolute blindness.
- Lens dislocation - a complication characterized by displacement of the lens or its complete separation from the holding ligament. There is a sharp deterioration in vision.
- Phacolytic iridocyclitis - a disease manifested in inflammation of the tissues of the iris and ciliary body. In this case, severe headaches and eye pains are felt.
- Phacogenic glaucoma - characterized by a secondary increase in intraocular pressure. This is due to an increase in the size of the lens.
- Obscuration amblyopia. This complication is more common in children and is a consequence of a congenital disease.
Eye cataracts and surgery are two inextricably linked phenomena. You should not postpone the trip to the ophthalmologist when the first symptoms indicating a disease occur.
History and Modernity
For the first time, surgery to remove cataracts of the eye was performed by the surgeon Jacques Daviel. He committed it in 1752. The first procedure for replacing the lens with artificial analogues was carried out shortly after the Second World War. This work was done by a surgeon from Harold Ridley from England. The researcher noted that a wound with plastic eyes did not always lead to complications or adverse reactions. Based on this observation, he decided to create artificial lenses that could be implanted. On February 8, 1950, the first such operation was carried out. Eye cataract was corrected by 45-year-old nurse E. Atwood.
Scientists from China and the United States published in 2016 the results of their experiments to eliminate cataracts using stem cells. The technology is the cultivation of another lens, replacing the old one. Such cells can slow down the process of tissue necrosis and cause the restoration of new or damaged ones.
During the operation, cataract removal of the eye occurs, followed by stem cell stimulation. Having tested this protocol on some animal species and obtained good results, doctors performed this procedure in twelve infants with congenital cataracts. During treatment, all children returned lost vision.
Use of drops
With cataracts in both eyes (or eyes), drops are often used to stop the development of the disease. They also prevent the development of complications after heavy operations. Any kind of such a medicine should be prescribed by an ophthalmologist. Trying to eliminate the disease yourself is not recommended.
Oftan Katahrom is a drug used to combat cataracts. It includes nicotinamides, as well as adenosine and some other compounds. The medicine normalizes metabolic processes, positively affects oxidative and regenerative phenomena. Drops play the role of antioxidants. Their advantage is the rapid onset of the improvement effect, and they are not absorbed into the blood. They can be used when bearing the fetus.
Burning in the eyes is the most common side effect of the drug. The medicine has some limitations on the use associated with individual intolerance to the components. It is not recommended to wear lenses during the period of application of the drops.
For cataracts of the lens of the eye, Quinax drops are also used. They positively affect the processes of resorption of protein masses formed in the lens of the gas. Quinax also activates some enzymes located in the cavity of the ophthalmic anterior chamber, inside which a large amount of moisture is concentrated. Drops are characterized by a low level of absorption and do not cause side effects. Do not interact with other medications. Children and pregnant women are advised to consult a doctor before use.
Taufon is another drop used to prevent and combat cataracts. They also trigger regeneration processes in the tissues forming the lens of the eye. "Taufon" normalizes metabolic processes in the eyeball. . .
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Drops for eyes "999" from cataracts and glaucoma - a means for the prevention and treatment of the disease in question. Relieves eye strain, fights cataracts, tones the eyes. It is not recommended to use in the presence of severe pain in the eyes.
It must always be remembered that the use of drugs in most cases does not replace surgical intervention. Therefore, you should not rely only on them. When identifying the first signs of cataracts, it is important to consult a doctor and strictly follow his recommendations for resolving the problem.
We examined how the lens of the eye is replaced with cataracts, what symptoms this disease manifests itself.