What are the symptoms of cataracts and how to prevent them

Cataracts are a disease that is more common in the elderly and are very likely to cause blindness. However, cataracts can also be caused by trauma or be congenital. So what are the clinical symptoms of cataracts?

What are the symptoms of cataracts?

Generally speaking, cataracts are considered clinically significant only when the lens becomes cloudy and the visual acuity drops to 0.7.

1. Decreased vision

This is the most obvious and important symptom. Because the light-transmitting part of the eyeball suddenly becomes opaque, it is like wearing an eye patch. The first thing that appears is that you can't see things and your vision decreases. But the degree of vision loss is related to the severity of the disease.

2. Decreased contrast sensitivity

Patients often have a marked decrease in contrast sensitivity at high spatial frequencies.

3. Refractive changes

As the refractive index of the lens increases, the refractive power of the lens will also increase. The understanding of refractive power is related to the principle of myopia and hyperopia.

4. Monocular diplopia or polyopia

The reason for this symptom is the opacity of the lens. It is like a big glass bead. If it is cracked inside, many different reflective surfaces will be formed. This is the same principle as the formation of many images after light enters the human eye.

5. Glare

The lens scatters light entering the eye.

6. Changes in color vision

Because the lens is cloudy, the patient has problems perceiving colors.

7. Visual field loss

The lens becomes cloudy, preventing some light from entering, resulting in a defect.

How to prevent cataracts

Cataracts can cause serious blindness, so they must be prevented. Cataracts can be roughly divided into three types, and the prevention methods for different types of cataracts are different.

1. Congenital cataract

During pregnancy, pregnant women should eat more fresh vegetables, animal liver and eggs. Avoid diseases such as influenza and rubella. Do not take medicine randomly during pregnancy, stay away from radiation, and try to avoid congenital cataracts in children.

2. Traumatic cataract

Eyes are very delicate, so try to avoid eye injuries in your life. Children should stay away from sharp and dangerous objects to avoid accidental eye injuries and traumatic cataracts.

3. Senile cataract

Drinking more water can effectively prevent cataracts. At the same time, we should pay attention to supplementing protein, such as eating more meat, fish, eggs, and milk; supplementing vitamins, especially vitamin B and vitamin C, by eating more fresh vegetables, peanuts, animal liver, etc.; supplementing trace elements, such as eating more beef, radish, cabbage, grapes, etc.

Cataract pathogenesis

Cataract is a common eye disease that can cause blindness and is the main cause of blindness and visual impairment. There is a tissue called the lens in our eyes, which is usually transparent. The human eye can see the colorful world because light can be focused from the cornea of ​​the eye through the lens and then imaged on the retina. Once the lens becomes cloudy due to aging, genetics, immune and metabolic disorders, malnutrition, trauma, poisoning, radiation, etc., people cannot see clearly, or their vision is distorted, or even blind, leading to cataracts.