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Cataract
Will the pupil turn white in the early stages of cataract?
Cataracts are a common eye disease in ophthalmology and are currently the leading cause of blindness in China, posing a serious threat to the eye health of the public. In the early stages of cataract formation, the lens inside the eyeball usually has only mild cloudiness. Visually, from the outside, the cloudiness in the pupil area cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, when a doctor uses a slit lamp microscope for enhanced observation, cloudy patches inside the lens can be detected. At this time, the patient's vision decline is not significant, and surgery might not be immediately necessary; it is feasible to continue monitoring the changes in vision. As the cataract progresses, the area of cloudiness in the lens gradually expands. When it develops to the middle or late stage, white patches can be seen in the pupil area with the naked eye, and surgical treatment becomes necessary.
Do cataracts replace the lens?
Cataracts refer to the clouding of the lens, leading to decreased vision. Cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial one to restore vision. Simply removing the cataract lens does not restore vision, as it leaves the eye in a highly hyperopic (farsighted) state. An artificial lens must be inserted to improve vision and correct the eye's refractive state. Therefore, cataract surgery necessitates the replacement of the lens.
What is the cataract OCT examination?
OCT is used for examining the macula and optic nerve head of the retina. It is a non-destructive, non-contact method that performs cross-sectional scanning of the ultrastructure on the retina. It primarily replaces ultrasound by using light waves to drive sound waves, conducting tomographic scans on biological tissues with low coherence, and displaying the results in forms of graphics and numbers. In this context, it is mainly used for diagnosing macular lesions and optic nerve head lesions. For cataract examinations, this method is generally not used; instead, ocular B-ultrasound and slit lamp microscopy are sufficient for detection.
Difference between fundus diseases and cataracts
Diseases of the eye fundus mainly refer to diseases of the choroid and retina in the posterior segment of the eye, while cataracts are diseases of the lens in the middle segment of the eye, so there is a difference in their locations. Clinically, eye fundus diseases manifest as declining vision and obstructed vision, while cataracts manifest as blurred vision, foggy vision, or seeing halos around lights. Eye fundus diseases can be treated conservatively or surgically, whereas cataracts require surgical treatment.
What are the early symptoms of cataracts?
Cataracts are a vision-impairing disease caused by the clouding of the lens, a crucial optical component in the human eyeball, which is normally transparent. The clouding occurs due to the denaturation of lens proteins for various reasons, leading to various degrees of vision impairment in patients. Some patients with cataracts may not exhibit noticeable symptoms in the early stages, while others may experience mild blurriness in vision initially. As the cloudiness of the lens gradually worsens, the blurring of vision progressively intensifies. Some may even experience symptoms like nearsightedness, double vision, strabismus, or glare. If these symptoms occur, it is advised to seek prompt medical attention from an ophthalmologist, undergo relevant examinations, and based on the extent of lens cloudiness, decide whether cataract removal surgery is necessary.
Advantages and disadvantages of cataract surgery for the elderly
Any surgery carries risks, and cataract surgery is no exception. However, many elderly people have mature cataracts that require prompt surgical treatment. If not addressed timely, it can lead to blindness or even cause secondary glaucoma, leading to symptoms such as eye pain, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. In some advanced cases, it can lead to neovascular glaucoma, making it difficult to control intraocular pressure. Cataracts are a vision-impairing disease caused by the clouding of the lens, which is an important optical component in the human eyeball. Normally, the lens is transparent. In elderly people, the lens proteins often degenerate and age, leading to cloudiness and various degrees of vision impairment. It is advisable for those with cataracts to seek prompt ophthalmologic care and, if necessary, undergo cataract removal surgery. Complications and sequelae from cataract surgery may include postoperative infection, shallow anterior chamber, corneal edema, explosive bleeding, macular edema, and more.
Can cataracts be treated with medication in the early stages?
Cataract is a common eye disease and is currently the leading cause of blindness. It often occurs in middle-aged and elderly people, patients with high myopia, and those with chronic inflammation in the eyes. Cataracts can cause a decline in vision, severely reducing the quality of life. In the early stages of cataract formation, it is possible to treat with medication, such as applying eye drops like benzylarginine and pinoxacin, which can delay and prevent the worsening of cataracts. However, it cannot reverse the vision decline caused by cataracts. If the vision decline caused by cataracts has severely affected normal life, work, and study, surgical treatment should be considered promptly. Only by removing the cloudy lens inside the eyeball and replacing it with a transparent artificial lens can vision be restored.
Cataract ou, od, os means what?
OU, OD, and OS are common descriptions in ophthalmology. OU represents both eyes, OD represents the right eye, and OS represents the left eye. These are abbreviations. For example, visual acuity for both eyes is denoted as OU, visual acuity for the left eye as OS, and visual acuity for the right eye as OD. These terms are typically used in medical records, not only to describe conditions like cataracts. For instance, the condition of cataracts in both eyes would be described as OU: OD 0.1, OS 0.3.
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.
What are the early symptoms of cataract?
Early symptoms of cataracts are not obvious in some patients, while others may experience mild blurriness of vision. As the lens becomes cloudier, the blurriness will gradually worsen, and symptoms such as nearsightedness, glare, and double vision may also appear. In advanced stages, some may develop glaucoma, leading to symptoms like eye pain, headache, nausea, and vomiting, and in severe cases, it can cause blindness. Cataracts are a common and prevalent eye disease and are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. The lens, an important optical component of the human eye, is normally transparent. Cataracts can form due to various reasons leading to protein degeneration in the lens, causing it to become cloudy and result in various degrees of vision loss. It is recommended that patients with cataracts regularly visit ophthalmologists and consider cataract removal surgery if necessary.