Is cataract easy to treat?

Written by Li Min
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 14, 2024
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If you are diagnosed with cataracts, we generally use surgical methods nowadays. Our surgical approach typically involves cataract phacoemulsification combined with the implantation of an artificial lens. If you have a simple case of cataracts without any other eye diseases—such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, or central retinal vein occlusion—the outcome after surgery is generally good. As for the eye drops for treating cataracts advertised on TV, like Sharp Eye Love, their effectiveness is not very certain in our medical practice. Currently, the main method of treating cataracts is still through surgery.

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Written by Zhou Qing
Ophthalmology
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Early symptoms of cataracts

The early symptoms of cataracts can manifest as day blindness or night blindness. When the cloudiness of the lens originates from the middle of the eye, the strong daylight and illumination can cause the pupil to contract, which then blocks the light from entering the eye, resulting in day blindness. When the cloudiness of the lens is located around the periphery of the eye, the dim light at night cannot reach the peripheral retina, thus causing night blindness. Other early symptoms of cataracts include the following: when the cloudiness of the lens is located at the pupil, patients may see fixed dots or patches of shadow in front of their eyes. However, since cataracts share similar characteristics with floaters, they should be distinguished; the shadows in floaters can move, while the shadows in cataracts are fixed. Varying degrees of blurry vision are also early symptoms of cataracts. Patients may experience gradually increasing blurriness of vision, often perceiving halos around lights or seeing colors of objects as dull and unclear. The early development of cataracts is quite slow and can be determined by the deepest and most obvious part of the lens cloudiness and its development condition.

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Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
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Cataract is what?

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.

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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.

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Ophthalmology
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What causes cataracts?

There are many factors that cause cataracts, the most common being age-related cataracts. As we age, we are exposed to ultraviolet rays which can cause degeneration of the lens. The older a person is, the more ultraviolet rays they absorb. Some cataracts are also caused by medications, such as long-term use of steroids. Additionally, some cataracts are caused by trauma; if the lens is accidentally punctured during an injury, it can rapidly deteriorate. There are also congenital cataracts caused by intrauterine infections. The causes are various, and in diabetic patients, their cataracts can progress more quickly because high blood sugar can lead to changes in the osmotic pressure of the lens.

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What are the treatment methods for cataracts?

For the treatment of cataracts, the curative method is surgery, as medications generally do not have a curative effect. For early-stage cataracts, medications can control the condition. However, for advanced cataracts, medications are essentially ineffective. Currently, there is no specific drug for treating cataracts, and surgery is the best option. The common surgical methods for cataract are: 1. Intracapsular cataract extraction; 2. Phacoemulsification; The modern technique of extracapsular cataract extraction combined with the implantation of an artificial lens has become the most widely used surgical method and is also a relatively mature technique.