Healthy Living focuses on cataracts
Cataract is a painless, but bothersome eye condition that manifests itself at an older age. While it can cause loss of vision, it is not a diagnosis of definitive blindness. This week Healthy Living turns the lens on cataract and its treatment.
Marleni Cuellar, Reporting
The physical effects of aging on the body are many. Unfortunately, the downside to gaining wisdom and more experience comes with glitches. One of the more common side effects is the loss of vision and frequently the culprit is cataract. On the upside, with time and technology loss of vision can be restored even in the most advanced stage of cataract. Ophthalmologist Dr. Amin Hegar helps us to understand how cataract is formed and how it is treated.
Dr. Amin Hegar, Ophthalmologist
“The front part of the eye, which is the cornea, which is very thick, it’s not too easy to penetrate even by trauma. And behind the cornea you have what is the iris that people have different colours. And then the iris forms the pupil and behind the pupil we have the crystalline lens. We call the crystalline because it is totally transparent like glass that is totally clean. Okay, what is the cataract; this part here, the crystalline lens is what the cataract becomes. At the beginning of the changes in this cataract this crystalline lens becomes hardened, less elastic. It becomes thicker and occupies more space in here because it becomes thicker and the patient begins to have vision problems.”
These vision problems are many. Symptoms for cataract range from total loss of vision to blurred or faded vision. But the type of symptoms experienced is dependent on the origin of the cataract.
Dr. Amin Hegar
“The most common cause is loss of vision and some patients also have yellowing of objects. They say doc I’m seeing different colours and glare problems also, the glare molest them a lot. They cannot read well at night with dim light; they need bright lights to read. At the beginning if the cloudiness is not in the center of the crystalline lens sometimes the cloudiness starts from the periphery of the crystalline lens and then it won’t affect the vision as much. But because the lens just swells creating a different refractive power a different prescription of lens then by just changing the glasses.”
While cataract is typically age-related condition, persons with congenital cataract may develop it from birth as a result of the birth defect. Other causes for cataract are tied to underlying conditions and lifestyle choices.
Dr. Amin Hegar
“The most common cause is the one that is age related. Normally above sixty years of age it starts to become more common. And then contributing factors are diabetes, we have a lot of diabetes in Belize. Another factor that people don’t believe and this goes for the smokers; smoking contributes to the progression of cataract so we advise them to reduce or stop smoking because it’s gonna create cataract or make the cataract progress quicker.”
Additionally, prolonged use of steroids as well as constant exposure to ultraviolet light can also cause cataract. But if you are diagnosed, no need to lament, you are not doomed to inevitable darkness.
Dr. Amin Hegar
“It’s very important to know that cataract gives you reversible vision. It’s not a blindness that you lose and you won’t gain back your vision. You’ll get an operation and ninety-five percent of all operations are safe enough.”
The treatment is an outpatient surgery available at the ophthalmologist office. It requires the removal of the cataract and replaces it with an intraocular lens, or I.O.L. But it’s best to discuss with an experienced ophthalmologist. As Dr. Hegar explains, a happy patient is a patient that sees well.
Dr. Amin Hegar
“I always like to say the cataract is the wrinkle of the eye because it s age related. So they can regain their vision and be happy afterwards and live long. If you can see if you can hear and you’re healthy you want to live longer.”
