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What Is a Cataract?

Summary & Participants

When you reach a certain age, it's usually clear that your vision isn't as sharp as it used to be. Learn how surgery for the cloudy lens of a cataract can restore vision.

Medically Reviewed On: June 19, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Getting older isn't for sissies. Pop idols start to look like your kids; your old clothes are now considered "vintage," and then there's your eyesight.

PENNY ASBELL, MD: The most common cause of cataracts is really just aging. We know that some diseases are more commonly associated with cataracts, such as diabetes. We know that some drugs can cause cataracts, such as steroids or prednisone. But in general, we see an increased incidence of cataracts as we age. So it's one of those aging phenomena that happens to almost everybody if we live long enough.

ANNOUNCER: Cataracts disrupt the functioning of one of the most important parts of our eyes.

PENNY ASBELL, MD: The whole function of the eye is to get the light that's coming into the eye into focus in the back of the eye, the retina. And part of that focusing mechanism is the lens inside the eye. So it's a little lens, just like your glasses. Now, if that lens gets cloudy, we change its name from lens to cataract. So a cataract is a cloudy lens inside the eye.

ANNOUNCER: More than half of our population over 65 develops them. While the condition is painless, vision does change.

PENNY ASBELL, MD: Maybe you can't read anymore. Maybe you're having trouble driving. Another symptom can be glare or, particularly like driving at night with headlights coming toward you. Some people also complain about a change in color, that the color doesn't seem as rich as it used to be.

ANNOUNCER: People might think all they need is a new prescription.

PENNY ASBELL, MD: But even if you change your glasses and you still can't see well, typically that cause, or the most common cause, is cataracts.

ANNOUNCER: The only way to truly identify any vision problem is to seek advice from an expert.

PENNY ASBELL, MD: One of the reasons to have an eye exam is not just to diagnose cataracts or no cataracts, but to make sure there isn't any other problem that's causing loss of vision. It could be glaucoma, diabetes in the eye, other serious problems that might be changing the vision, and that's important to determine. Is it cataract alone, or is there any other issue going on?

ANNOUNCER: Like grey hairs that slowly creep in, cataracts do their damage over time.

Cataracts typically, in adults, progress slowly. Your vision may still be very good and very functional. Generally, gradually, there's a change or loss of visual acuity.

ANNOUNCER: But at some point, cataracts make changes that become significant.

PENNY ASBELL, MD: The timing for cataract surgery really depends almost always on the patient. When does your vision become a problem? When can you no longer drive, maybe no longer do the activities you like to do, see TV, read, do your crossword puzzle? When you can't get by, that's the time to do cataract surgery.

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