Cataract
Symptoms
Cataract symptoms include decreased visual acuity, blurred vision, reduced contrast, double vision (sort of duplication, halo), and altered colour perception. It may lead to blindness if there is a total opacity of the lens.
Causes
In most cases, it is caused by an atrophy of the macula (disappearance of photoreceptor cells – cones and rods). More rarely, the cause is abnormal vascularisation of the retina by angiogenesis. Genetic factors (yet to be discovered) and external factors (particularly smoking) can combine and accelerate the ageing of this area of the retina.
Statistics
Less than 10% of people under 65 years old, and more than 60% of people above 85 years old have cataracts.
Treatments
Surgery is the only possible treatment. It is recommended as soon as the patient complains about significant visual discomfort. A circular opening is made in the front part of the optical lens envelope (anterior lens capsule). The lens is fragmented with an ultrasound probe before being aspirated. A synthetic implant is then inserted into the remaining lens envelope. The patient’s vision is usually restored to the same level as before the cataract appeared.
On this page, we describe an eye disease that can only be diagnosed by an eye doctor. We therefore advise you to have your eyesight checked regularly by an ophthalmologist.
