Cataract is what?

Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 03, 2024
00:00
00:00

All sorts of reasons, such as aging, genetics, local nutritional disorders, immune and metabolic abnormalities, trauma, poisoning, radiation, etc., can cause metabolic disorders in the lens, leading to the denaturation of the lens proteins and resulting in opacity known as cataract. At this point, the light is obstructed by the opaque lens and cannot be projected onto the retina, causing blurred vision. It is commonly seen in people over the age of forty, and the incidence increases with age. This disease can be divided into congenital cataracts and acquired cataracts. Congenital cataracts are also known as developmental cataracts, and there are six types of acquired cataracts.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
48sec home-news-image

How is a cataract formed?

Inside the eyeball, there is a relatively important transparent tissue called the lens. Clinically, clouding of the lens is referred to as cataracts. Many factors, such as aging, genetics, metabolic abnormalities like diabetes, trauma, radiation, poisoning, and local nutritional disorders, can lead to damage to the capsule of the lens, increasing its permeability and losing its barrier function, or causing metabolic disturbances in the lens. This can cause the proteins in the lens to denature, leading to cloudiness of the lens, which is known as cataracts. Under a slit lamp microscope, varying degrees of cloudiness in the lens can be observed.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
45sec home-news-image

What department should I go to for cataracts?

The department for cataract consultations is ophthalmology. Various factors such as aging, genetics, local nutritional disorders, immune and metabolic abnormalities, trauma, poisoning, radiation, etc., can cause metabolic disturbances in the lens, leading to the denaturation of lens proteins and resulting in opacity, known as cataracts. At this time, light is obstructed by the cloudy lens and cannot be projected onto the retina, causing blurred vision. This condition is commonly seen in individuals over forty years old, and the incidence increases with age. The disease can also be divided into congenital cataracts and acquired cataracts.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
27sec home-news-image

Postoperative complications of cataract surgery

Complications after cataract surgery are relatively common and include the following types: First, incision leakage, leading to a shallow anterior chamber; Second, pupil block; Third, damage to the corneal endothelium, causing persistent corneal edema, and even bullous keratopathy; Fourth, anterior chamber hemorrhage; Fifth, epithelial implantation in the anterior chamber; Sixth, postoperative uveitis; Seventh, increased intraocular pressure; Eighth, abnormal positioning or dislocation of the intraocular lens; Ninth, macular edema, and retinal detachment can also occur.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
43sec home-news-image

Cataract Causes

Cataracts can be caused by many reasons, with the following common scenarios: First, due to aging factors, as age increases, the proteins in the lens of the eye gradually degenerate, leading to cloudiness and reduced transparency of the lens, ultimately resulting in cataracts. Second, cataracts can be caused by eye trauma, where a significant impact can damage the structure of the lens. Third, they can be caused by chronic inflammation within the eye, such as uveitis or iridocyclitis, where the inflammation leads to the degeneration of lens proteins. Fourth, long-term use of steroid medications can affect the metabolism of lens proteins, thereby leading to the development of cataracts.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
53sec home-news-image

Causes of cataracts

Various causes, such as aging, genetics, local nutritional disorders, immune and metabolic abnormalities, trauma, poisoning, radiation, etc., can lead to metabolic disorders of the lens, causing the denaturation of lens proteins and resulting in cloudiness; this is called cataract. Cataracts can be divided into congenital and acquired. Congenital cataracts, also known as developmental cataracts, are divided into anterior polar cataracts, posterior polar cataracts, nuclear cataracts, and total cataracts. Acquired cataracts are divided into senile cataracts, complicated cataracts, traumatic cataracts, metabolic cataracts, radiation cataracts, and those related to medications and poisoning.