﻿Cataract is the leading cause
of preventable vision loss in most parts of the world.
Cataracts are very common and you probably know somebody who has cataracts.
And you may also be somebody who is
watching this video because you've been recently diagnosed with early stage
cataract and you want to find out more about it.
Well, this video,
I'm going to keep it super simple and we'll summarize the answer
to the question, what is a cataract and how is it treated?
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So let's get started with today's video.
Firstly cataract is the leading cause of preventable vision loss because it does
cause vision loss, but not blindness directly.
And the reason that it's not
called the leading cause of blindness is precisely because it can be treated
even at the point where it has caused near complete vision loss.
Distinction is that vision loss may be
restored, whereas blindness usually implies permanent damage to sight.
So what is a cataract?
The eye is a two lens system
with the cornea lens being at the front of the eye and further into the eye.
we have the other lens, which is called the crystalline lens.
Both lenses are complex structures that need to be transparent.
However, the crystalline lens is
particularly vulnerable to becoming less transparent over a person's life.
There are a range of reasons that can
cause the acceleration and the loss of transparency of the crystalline lens.
But age is by far the most common cause of loss of transparency.
And when the crystalline lens loses its
transparency, this can take different forms.
It can range from the appearance of a general cloudiness of the lens
overall to fit clumps that form at different points within the lens.
And you can think of the lens as being a bit like egg white protein, which,
when it denatures, goes from being transparent to being solid white.
That doesn't transmit light through it.
And this is effectively what happens in the eyes lens.
Now, the consequence of having a cataract is that effectively it blocks the view
of the individual and stops rays of light to reaching the retina.
So you start to lose quality and quantity of sight.
And this brings us to the treatment.
The treatment of cataract is by means
of operation to remove the content of the cloudy
crystalline lens and a cataract operation like any
other operation that you can have does have its risk.
But in the hands of a competent surgeon, a cataract operation is one of the most
successful and life transforming procedures that anyone can have.
So the procedure involves a small incision
at the edge of the eye to access the crystalline lens.
And then the surgeon will cut a small hole
into the lens and they'll then break up the cataract and suction out the center
of the lens, then leave the outer shell of the crystalline lens in place to insert
an artificial plastic lens into a shell sac of the lens.
And the reason that they have to implant this artificial lens into the shell is
because the crystalline lens has a high optical power.
So when you remove this optical power,
you'll need to replace it with something else.
Otherwise the individual is left
and needing to wear very high powered contact lenses or high powered glasses,
you know, all the time in order to compensate.
After you've had your cataract operation,
you'll see the benefits pretty much straight away, but you will have to wear
an eye patch or some kind of eye covering for a short period of time.
And I'll leave some example links to videos and information on cataract
procedures in the description box below so you can check them out.
Now, in this day and age,
treating a cataract isn't perhaps the big problem that it once used to be.
In fact, if you had to choose anything
to go wrong with your eyes out of all the serious things that potentially could
happen, then I choose a cataract every single time.
And that's because of the treatment
options and how effective the treatment is and how quick it is as well.
Now, of course, if conventional treatment
didn't have to involve surgery, that would be the preferred option.
So that is the brief explanation
of the cataract and other surgical treatment for it.
So let me know in the comments section below.
When it comes to a cataract,
what is your biggest concern regarding a cataract and its treatment?
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Take care.