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 Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
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The main symptoms of cataracts

The main symptoms of cataracts include: First, a decline in vision, which is the most obvious and significant symptom of cataracts. Second, a decrease in contrast sensitivity, particularly noticeable at high spatial frequencies in cataract patients. Third, changes in refractive power. Nuclear cataracts lead to increased lens power due to an increase in the lens and refractive index, causing nuclear myopia. Fourth, monocular diplopia or polyopia due to uneven refractive power across different parts of the lens, similar to the effect of a prism, resulting in monocular diplopia or polyopia. Fifth, glare. Sixth, changes in color perception. Seventh, varying degrees of visual field defects.

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Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
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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.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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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.

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Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
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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.

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Written by Wang Hui Zhen
Ophthalmology
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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.