Cataracts

are among the most common eye diseases nowadays. They affect both 40-year-olds and 60-year-olds.

They involve partial or total opacity of the eye lens.

This condition has a advantage over us, in that it may not display any symptoms for many years. It sneaks up insidiously then finally attacks. Patients initially experience blurred vision, images are less sharp than before, it becomes difficult to identify shapes, the eyes water and tire very quickly. Harsher light at night becomes even more irritating than before. If any of these symptoms worry you, head to a specialist immediately.

There are different types of cataracts, they can be inherited or acquired. If they are inherited, the most common causes are diseases and viral infections of a pregnant mother, i.e. rubella, or else flu or simply genetic predisposition. In this case, it can be corrected very soon after birth with the help of an operation.

The different forms of acquired cataracts are:

• senile cataracts
• traumatic cataracts
• toxic cataracts
• complicated cataracts
• drug-induced cataracts
• metabolic cataracts

Remember that cataracts are fully curable at any age. The most important thing is rapid diagnosis and immediate treatment. Unfortunately, cataracts develop differently in every patient – sometimes it takes a few months, other times many years.

Cataracts are treated with an operation involving removal of the opaque lens and implanting an artificial one. Ultrasound and a femtosecond laser are used for this.

It is worth remembering that it is never to late for an effective diagnosis and to start the appropriate treatment of cataracts – they can be operated on at any age.

However, left untreated they can lead to blindness.