Why do cataracts cause difficulty seeing or blindness?
As the cataract continues to develop, the clouding becomes denser. A cataract scatters and blocks the light as it passes through the lens, preventing a sharply defined image from reaching your retina. As a result, your vision becomes blurred. Cataracts generally develop in both eyes, but not always at the same rate.
Can you go blind because of cataracts?
Over time, cataracts become worse and start to interfere with vision. Important skills can be affected, such as driving, and loss of vision can affect the overall quality of life in many ways including reading, working, hobbies and sports. If left untreated, cataracts will eventually cause total blindness.
What happens if you don’t remove cataracts?
Cataracts that are left untreated for too long can lead to severely impaired vision or blindness. The longer cataracts develop, the greater the chance they become “hyper-mature,” meaning that they’re tougher and more complicated to remove. In almost all cases, early detection and surgery is the solution.
Does cataract surgery restore 20/20 Vision?
Vision Quality After Surgery
Most patients can achieve 20/20 vision as long as they have no other conditions. Conditions that can affect the quality of vision after cataract surgery include: Glaucoma. Corneal scarring.
Can blindness be cured?
While there is no cure for blindness and macular degeneration, scientists have accelerated the process to find a cure by visualizing the inner workings of the eye and its diseases at the cellular level.
At what stage should cataracts be removed?
In most cases, you need surgery when blurry vision and other symptoms of a cataract starts to interfere with daily activities like reading or driving. There is no drug or eye drop to prevent or treat cataracts. Removing them is the only treatment.
Can cataracts go away on their own?
While some cataracts may stop progressing, they will never go away on their own. In many patients, they will continue to grow and can cause blindness. While cataracts aren’t reversible, some surgeries can remove them and place an intraocular lens in its place to improve vision for patients in San Antonio, TX.
How often does cataract surgery go wrong?
At a conservative estimate, at least 25% (or 1.5 million) of the six million cataract operations performed annually in developing countries will have poor outcomes. About one quarter of these poor outcomes are due to surgical complications.
What is the average age for cataract surgery?
In most people, cataracts start developing around age 60, and the average age for cataract surgery in the United States is 73. However, changes in the lenses of our eyes start to affect us in our 40’s.