All about senile cataract

Senile Cataract is a common disease among the elderly people. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which is caused due to cross linking of the proteins inside the eye lens. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.

Cataract causes vision impairment, the main causes of cataract is suggested in many studies is exposure to ultraviolet light is associated with cataract development. Some eye care practitioners believe that a high diet of antioxidants, such as beta-carotene (vitamin A), selenium and vitamins C and E, may forestall cataract development. Meanwhile, eating a lot of salt may increase your risk

Cataracts are classified as one of three types:

* A subcapsular cataract begins at the back of the lens. People with diabetes, high farsightedness or retinitis pigmentosa, or those taking high doses of steroids, may develop a subcapsular cataract.
* A nuclear cataract is most commonly seen as it forms. This cataract forms in the nucleus, the center of the lens, and is due to natural aging changes.
* A cortical cataract, which forms in the lens cortex, gradually extends its spokes from the outside of the lens to the center. Many diabetics develop cortical cataracts.



The main symptoms of cataract are

Mild clouding of the lens often occurs after age 60, but it may not cause any vision problems.

* Cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, or filmy vision
* Difficulty seeing at night or in dim light
* Double vision
* Loss of color intensity

Cataracts generally lead to decreased vision, even in daylight. Most people with cataracts have similar changes in both eyes, although one eye may be worse than the other. Many people with this condition have only mild vision changes.

Some of the other factory that may enhance the growth of cataract includes diabetes, eye injury, smoking, family history of cataract, surgery for another eye problem.

Eye surgery is the most common treatment of senile cataract. In fact, it is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States, with more than 3 million Americans undergoing cataract surgery each year. Nine out of 10 people who have cataract surgery regain very good vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40.

During surgery, the surgeon will remove your clouded lens and in most cases replace it with a clear, plastic intraocular lens (IOL).

Cataract surgery slightly increases your risk of retinal detachment. Other eye disorders, such as high myopia, can further increase your risk of retinal detachment after cataract surgery. Infection, bleeding, pain are also some of the other risks.