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Cataracts - Highlights
Description
An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cataracts.Highlights:
Cataracts
Cataracts are a common age-related vision problem. About 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts, and the older a person gets the greater the risk for developing cataracts. Women are more likely to develop cataracts than men, and African Americans and Hispanic Americans are at particularly high risk.
In addition to age, other factors may increase the risk of cataract development. These include:
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Overexposure to sunlight
Symptoms
During the early stages, cataracts may have little effect on vision. Symptoms vary due to the location of the cataract in the eye (nuclear, cortical, or posterior subcapsular). Depending on the type and extent of the cataract, patients may experience the following symptoms:
- Cloudy vision
- Double or blurry vision
- Glare and sensitivity to bright lights
- Colors appear faded
- Difficulty reading due to reduced black-white contrast
Treatment
Cataracts never go away on their own, but some stop progressing after a certain point. But if cataracts continue to grow and progress, they can cause blindness if left untreated. Fortunately, cataracts can usually always be successfully removed with surgery. Millions of cataract surgeries are performed each year in the United States, and there is a very low risk for complications. However, before opting for surgery, patients need to consider on an individual basis how severely a cataract interferes with their quality of life. Cataract surgery is rarely an emergency, so patients have time to consult with their doctors and carefully consider the risks and benefits of surgery.
Cataract Removal Surgery
Surgery involves removing the cataract and replacing the abnormal lens with a permanent implant called an intraocular lens (IOL). The operation takes less than 1 hour and is performed on an outpatient basis. The procedure is generally painless and most patients remain awake during it. If you have cataracts in both eyes, doctors recommend waiting at least 1 month between surgeries.
Resources
- www.ascrs.org -- The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
- www.aao.org -- American Academy of Ophthalmology
- www.nei.nih.gov -- National Eye Institute
- www.eyesurgeryeducation.com -- Eye Surgery Education Council
- www.lighthouse.org -- Lighthouse International
- www.aao.org/aao/find_eyemd.cfm -- Find an ophthalmologist
References
Allen D. Cataract. BMJ Clinical Evidence. Web publication date: 01 April 2007 (based on October 2006 search). Accessed July 1, 2008.
American Academy of Ophthalmology. Cataract in the Adult Eye, Preferred Practice Pattern. San Francisco: American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2006. Accessed July 1, 2008.
Awasthi N, Guo S, Wagner BJ. Posterior capsular opacification: a problem reduced but not yet eradicated. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Apr;127(4):555-62.
Bell CM, Hatch WV, Fischer HD, Cernat G, Paterson JM, Gruneir A, et al. Association between tamsulosin and serious ophthalmic adverse events in older men following cataract surgery. JAMA. 2009 May 20;301(19):1991-6
Clinical Trial of Nutritional Supplements and Age-Related Cataract Study Group, Maraini G, Sperduto RD, Ferris F, Clemons TE, Rosmini F, et al. A randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial of multivitamin supplementation for age-related lens opacities. Clinical trial of nutritional supplements and age-related cataract report no. 3. Ophthalmology. 2008 Apr;115(4):599-607.e1.
Fernandez MM, Afshari NA. Nutrition and the prevention of cataracts. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2008 Jan;19(1):66-70.
Friedman AH. Tamsulosin and the intraoperative floppy iris syndrome. JAMA. 2009 May 20;301(19):2044-5.
Guercio JR, Martyn LJ. Congenital malformations of the eye and orbit. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2007 Feb;40(1):113-40, vii.
Long V, Chen S, Hatt S. Surgical interventions for bilateral congenital cataract. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jul 19;3:CD003171.
Moeller SM, Voland R, Tinker L, Blodi BA, Klein ML, Gehrs KM, et al. Associations between age-related nuclear cataract and lutein and zeaxanthin inthe diet and serum in the Carotenoids in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, an Ancillary Study of the Women's Health Initiative. Arch Ophthalmol. 2008 Mar;126(3):354-64.
Olitsky SE, Hug D, and Smith LP. Abnormalities of the lens. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. St. Louis, MO: WB Saunders; 2007; chap 627.
Wishart MS, Dagres E. Seven-year follow-up of combined cataract extraction and viscocanalostomy. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2006 Dec;32(12):2043-9.
- Reviewed last on: 6/23/2009
- Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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