Ultraviolet rays, the main cause of cataracts

Among various body organs, the eye directly exposed to the outside is one of the body parts that are vulnerable to UV rays. Since UV rays reach the surface of the earth all year round, regardless of the season, UV rays are strong even in today’s chilly late autumn sunlight. If strong UV rays continuously penetrate the eye, there is a high risk of cataracts, so you should be careful about cataracts even in the fall.

What is a Cataract

Cataract is a disease in which the lens in the eye becomes opaque and causes various vision problems. Because the lens of our eye has a function corresponding to the lens of the camera, it collects light in the eye to form an image on the retina and focuses. When a cataract develops, the transparent lens becomes cloudy and blocks light, making it impossible to focus, making objects appear blurry.

Main Causes of Cataract

Cataracts are commonly known to occur with aging, but they can also occur due to external factors such as strong UV exposure, smoking and drinking, and blue light from electronic devices. Patients with diabetes or high blood pressure may develop cataracts as a complication.

Main Symptoms of Cataract

Cataracts often do not show any abnormal symptoms in the early stages. This is because it is a disease that develops over several years rather than in a short period of time. However, as the opacity of the lens increases, the visual acuity deteriorates and glare symptoms appear. Diplopia, in which objects appear as multiple objects, may occur. In rare cases, the color of an object may appear distorted, or pain may be felt due to increased intraocular pressure in the eye.

How to treat cataract

In the early stages of cataracts, drugs or eye drops can slow the progression of the disease, but the most reliable treatment is surgery. Surgery is mainly performed when there are complications such as glaucoma, which increases intraocular pressure, or when people feel uncomfortable in daily life due to decreased visual acuity. Surgery is performed by removing the opaque lens and then inserting an artificial lens. After that, the recovery of the surgical site takes about 6 weeks.

Prognosis and Complications of Cataract

In the early stages of cataract development, the so-called ‘second sight’ phenomenon, which temporarily corrects myopia by improving the refractive power of the lens, may appear. However, as the disease progresses, the opacity of the lens worsens, resulting in a sharp decline in visual acuity and double vision.

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