Cataract Specialists in Tamil Nadu

What is Cataract?

A cataract is the clouding of the eye's natural lens, which is normally clear, causing progressively blurred, hazy, or dim vision as light entering the eye is scattered rather than focused sharply onto the retina. It is most commonly an age-related degenerative change in the structural proteins of the lens, though it can also result from eye injury, certain medications, or be present from birth in rare cases. Cataracts typically develop slowly over years, so many people do not notice significant vision changes until the clouding becomes advanced. It remains one of the leading causes of reversible vision loss worldwide and is highly treatable with modern surgical techniques.

Causes of Cataract

The most common cause is age-related degeneration of proteins within the lens, which gradually clump together and cloud it over decades. Other contributing factors include prolonged ultraviolet light exposure, diabetes, smoking, long-term corticosteroid use, previous eye injury or intraocular surgery, and a family history of early cataracts. Congenital cataracts can occur due to intrauterine infections or inherited genetic conditions.

Symptoms of Cataract

blurry or cloudy vision, increased sensitivity to glare especially from headlights at night, faded or yellowed color perception, difficulty seeing well in low light, frequent changes in eyeglass prescription, double vision in one eye, halos appearing around lights, reduced ability to read fine print

Treatment & Types of Cataract in Tamil Nadu

In early stages, updated eyeglass prescriptions and brighter lighting can help manage symptoms without surgery. Once the cataract significantly impairs daily activities such as driving or reading, surgical removal of the clouded lens and replacement with an artificial intraocular lens through phacoemulsification is the definitive treatment and is one of the most commonly performed and successful surgeries worldwide. No medication or eye drop has been proven to reverse or meaningfully slow cataract progression once it has started.

Cataracts are classified by their location within the lens: nuclear cataracts (forming in the central lens, most common with aging), cortical cataracts (wedge-shaped opacities in the outer lens layer), and posterior subcapsular cataracts (forming at the back of the lens, often progressing faster and linked to steroid use or diabetes); congenital cataracts, present at or shortly after birth, are a separate category.

Ophthalmology Specialists in Tamil Nadu (1)

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