Dr. Reema

A cataract is defined as a clouding of lens in the eye where your vision gets blurred. A cataract affects the eyes, when light that passes through the lens prevents a clearly formed image from reaching your retina. The disease is very common and usually develops as your eyes age or due to any injury caused to the tissues that cover your eye's lens.

Types of cataracts:

1. Senile Cataract: This is the commonest of all. It is age-related clouding of the lens. It can affect the near or distance vision and can also cause glare and change in glasses power.
2. Secondary Cataract: It can be developed after surgery for other eye problems like glaucoma and other health conditions such as diabetes.
3. Traumatic Cataract: It can develop many years later after an injury caused to your eye.
4. Congenital Cataract: As the term explains, the disease may be inborn or some children might develop it at a later stage which often affects both eyes. 
5. Radiation Cataract: It can form after you are exposed to some form of radiation.

A cataract surgery involves the extraction or cleaning of the cloudy lens, which is then replaced by a clear artificial lens.

Why does it happen? 

There are lens that lies behind our iris and pupil which act much like a camera lens. It helps concentrate light onto the retina at the back of our eye to form a sharply defined image. Besides, the lens also helps our eyes to adjust focus and allows us to see things clearly both far away and up close. The lens is composed of protein and water where the protein is arranged in a manner to keep the lens clear thereby letting light pass through it. 

However, as we grow old, some of the protein starts to become thick and cloud a small lens area. This is known as a cataract. With the passage of time, it may inflate and cover more of the lens, making it difficult for us to see.

Besides, there are other causes of cataract such as smoking, addiction of alcohol, prolonged sunlight exposure, to name a few. 

When should you opt for a cataract surgery?

Believe it or not, but till date no eye drop or medication has proven to reverse or prevent the formation of a cataract. If a cataract is affecting your nearsightedness or alteration in your prescription, then new prescription eyeglasses may help to better your blurred vision. However, the only treatment for a cataract is the surgical removal of your natural lens. And, most eye doctors recommend this surgery only when the problem becomes severe and starts hampering your day-to-day activities, such as studying or driving at night.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Your eyes are an important part of your health. There are many things you can do to keep them healthy and make sure you are seeing your best. However, there are a number of myths regarding what you should do and what you shouldn't do when it comes to maintaining good eye health.

Here are 5 of those myths busted:

Myth #1: reading in dim light and sitting too close to the tv hurts your eyes

Fact: sitting too close to the tv, you may feel eye strain or get a headache from reading in the dark, but it will not weaken your eyes. It fatigues your eyes but does not harm your eye health in any way.

Myth #2: eating carrots will improve your vision

Fact: carrots are rich in vitamin a, a nutrient essential for good vision. But eating carrots will only provide a small amount of vitamin a. To get the optimum amount, you need to include other sources of vitamin a in your diet as well, some of which are milk, cheese, egg yolk and liver. Spinach is best for eye health. It has lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which can help prevent cataracts.

Myth #3: if you wear glasses or contacts for a continuous period, your eyes will weaken

Fact: your eyes will not grow weaker by using corrective lenses. The prescription may change over time due to aging or absence of disease but it has nothing to do with your current prescription. Some children have correctable eye problems that do require glasses to improve the condition.

Myth #4: when you get something in your eye, rub it out

Fact: this is not true for everything that gets in your eyes. If any particle falls in your eyes dust it off. But if it is sand and small debris that gets in your eye, don't touch it. Use an eye wash for flushing it out. If an object gets stuck in your eye, don't remove it or rub your eye constantly. Visit a doctor at the earliest because some serious injuries may seem minor at first.

Myth #5: dark sunglasses can protect your eyes from the sun

Fact: the color of sunglass does not ensure eye protection. Look for sunglasses that block both uva and UVB rays. Exposure to the UV-rays of sunlight can have cumulative effects on your eyes. It increases your risk for cataracts, solar retinitis, and age-related vision loss. Even if your contacts have UV protection, wear sunglasses that block 100% of uva and UVB rays for full protection.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Hypermetropia, commonly known as long-sightedness, is a common vision condition in which distant objects appear clear, but nearby objects seem blurry or foggy. A person's ability to focus is greatly dependent on the degree of farsightedness. This condition of the eye is usually observed at birth and is also hereditary to some extent. Although, contact lenses and eye glasses are common methods of treatment, surgeries are also an option.

Before getting to understand the causes one should be aware of the structure of the eye.

The eye has two parts that focus on images:

- The clear surface at the front of the eye known as the cornea

- The second part is the lens, which is a clear structure

In a normal eye, these clear surfaces have a smooth curvature. The cornea and the lens bend or refract the incoming light to direct a sharply focused image on the retina, situated at the back of your eye.

Hypermetropia is caused when:

- The cornea or lens in the eye is not even or smoothly curved. In such cases, light rays are focussed behind retina which gives a blurry vision.

- The condition can also occur when the cornea of the eye is not curved enough. A shorter than the normal eye can also lead to such a condition. Convergent squint with eyes turning in is common in hypermetropes.

Due to these factors, the image is not precisely focused on the retina, causing blurry vision for nearby objects.

Some of the symptoms of farsightedness include:

- Objects that are close may appear blurry or cloudy

- Squinting the eyes might be necessary for viewing clearly

- A person may experience strain in the eye, aching and even inflammation in and around the eye

- Prolonged periods of close task like reading, writing or drawing may cause discomfort in the eye or minor headaches

Chronic eye strain and cross eyes are some of the commonly observed complications. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ophthalmologist.

You never tend to pay a lot of attention to your eyes unless they are affected by some serious disorder or unless your vision is disrupted. But did you know that your eyes are capable of doing much more than you can imagine? here are 10 surprising facts about your eyes you didn't know about.

1. How intricate!

Your eyes take more than 2 million working parts to function. No wonder your eyes are the second most complex organ of your body after your brain.

2. A lot depends on them

As much as 80% of your memories are determined by what you see. Also, 80% of what you learn is because of your eyes.

3. Retina and security

The iris of your eyes has approximately 256 unique characteristics, which is more than even your fingerprints. This is the reason why retina scans are used so widely today for security purposes.

4. It's a colourful world

Your eyes can distinguish between approximately 10 million different colours. And women with a particular kind of genetic mutation can see millions of more colours.

5. Upside-down

The retina of your eyes receives the vision of the outside world as upside down. It is your brain, which flips the image for you so that you can see the world as it is.

6. Sunscreen for the eyes?

It is possible for your eyes to get sunburnt. Therefore, it is advisable for you to wear sunglasses in order to protect your eyes from the ultraviolet radiations.

7. Godspeed!

The eye muscle is the muscle that reacts at the fastest rate out of all the other muscles in your body. It can contract in less than even 1/100th of a second.

8. Paint it red?

The retina of your eyes cannot detect the red colour. The retinas do have green, red and blue receptors, but the red receptor can detect only the colour yellow-green and the green one can recognise blue-green. It is your brain that combines these signals to give you the impression of the colour red.

9. Dreams and sight

Even if you become blind later in life, you can see images in your dreams if you were born with sight.

10. We are blink-eyed peas

You blink approximately 17 times every minute. That makes it 5.2 million times in a year. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) uses a computer controlled laser to reshape the eye's cornea ( the transparent part in the front region of the eye), so as to enable light passing through it to focus correctly onto the retina of the eye.

When do you need this surgery?

This surgical procedure is ideal for people having following conditions making spectacle use mandatory :

1. Myopia or nearsightedness - Far off objects appears blurry
2. Hypermetropia or farsightedness - Close objects appear indistinct
3. Astigmatism - Overall fuzzy vision

Facts about the surgery -

- Practically painless procedure done under numbing drops
- Short surgery time as well as recovery time
- No use of stitches
- Reduced dependency on glasses and contact lenses
- Better vision as compared to vision through high power glasses
- Minimum age to opt for the procedure is 18 years

LASIK in Presbyopia or Presbylasik:

The surgery can also be opted for individuals who suffer from presbyopia, which is long-sightedness brought on by the loss of flexibility of the eye lens, and usually occurs in individuals in their middle and old age. The condition renders individuals with the inability to focus on objects that are close by, leading to difficulty in reading smaller prints or doing chores close up.

In Presbylasik or Multifocal LASIK different power zones are created for seeing at varying distances - near , intermediate and distance vision. Consulting a doctor is best as he or she can help you to decide on the right course of action.
 

During summer you try to take special care about the overall health of your body, particularly, your eyes. Eyes are one of the most important organs of the body, and the scorching summer heat can cause serious eye problems like conjunctivitis, infections, red eye, migraines etc., which is why it's important to take proper care of eyes during the summer season.

Here are some tips to keep your eyes cool and protected during the summer:

• Wearing sunglasses is very important when you are outdoors as it protects your eyes from the harmful UVA and UVB light. This will help in avoiding migraines and even serious conditions like cataract.
• Avoid midday sunshine. Stay indoors as much as possible during the middle of the day to avoid the sunshine then when the effect of the sun and ultraviolet radiation exposure are at their peak.
• When you plan to go for a swim, make sure you wear your swimming goggles. Otherwise you might catch conjunctivitis.
• You should not splash water into the eyes directly unless any foreign particles such as dust enter your eyes. This might damage the tear film of the eye, which protects your eyes.
• You need to maintain proper hygiene by washing your hands and face properly as soon as you reach home so that dust or grime does not enter the eyes as their entry can result in allergies and infections.
• You can keep a slice of cucumber on each of your eyes to relax and cool them down.
• 6 to 8 hours of sleep are a must as they help in revitalizing your eyes.
• Adding green vegetables, carrots, nuts, liver and fruits to your diet would be very beneficial for the health of your eyes. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ophthalmologist.