Cataract: One of the Most Dangerous Eye Problems
When a person starts to get old, one of the signs or shall I say one of the problems he/she might encounter is cataract. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens that can cause vision problems. The most common type is related to aging. More than half of all Americans age 65 and older have a cataract.
In the early stages, stronger lighting and eyeglasses may lessen vision problems caused by cataracts. At a certain point, however, surgery may be needed to improve vision. Today, cataract surgery is safe and very effective.
The lens is made mostly of water and protein. The protein is arranged to let light pass through and focus on the retina. Sometimes some of the protein clumps together. This can start to cloud small areas of the lens, blocking some light from reaching the retina and interfering with vision. This is a cataract.
When a cataract is small, you may not notice any changes in your vision. Cataracts tend to grow slowly, so vision gets worse gradually. Some people with a cataract find that their close-up vision suddenly improves, but this is temporary. Vision is likely to get worse again as the cataract grows.