Ophthalmic surgeon reveals the first symptoms of cataracts

Photo: vecteezy.com

Questions about cataracts on the "Watch and Live" channel were answered by Mikhail Panes, a top-category doctor and head of the eye microsurgery department of the 3rd City Clinical Hospital in Minsk.

Is a cataract the same as a leucoma?

— A cataract and a leucoma are completely different things. A leucoma is an opacity of the cornea. The cornea is our "window," the first transparent component of the eye, the only transparent tissue in our body. And when it becomes cloudy, then we say that a person has a leucoma. It will be visible to the naked eye, — the expert noted.

Can one see if a person has a cataract?

— If we look into a person's eyes, in the case of a cataract, a white spot appears in place of the pupil, which is normally black. What is a pupil? It is an opening in the iris. And the iris is a diaphragm. Analogous to a camera, it expands or contracts, regulating the amount of sunlight and rays entering the eye. Then we see the image. That's why the pupil is normally black. Behind it is the lens, and then the vitreous body and the retina. And if the lens has become cloudy, turned white, as happens with a mature cataract, then we will see a white pupil instead of a black one, — the doctor explained.

How quickly does a cataract progress?

— Everything here is individual. For some, it can last a lifetime. I have operated on 98-year-old patients who did not notice a rapid decline in vision. I asked them why they didn't have surgery 10-15 years ago. They replied that everything satisfied them back then. But there are patients with a high quality of life, so they demand high-quality vision from themselves. Such patients, even at 45 or 50, when they stop seeing the very bottom line during an ophthalmologist's examination, understand that they have a cataract and therefore want to be operated on. The degree of progression is absolutely individual. External and internal factors play a role here, such as metabolism, as well as factors genetically inherent in us and passed down by our parents, — said the surgeon.

Is cataract treatment always surgery?

— Currently, cataract treatment is performed only surgically. There are no eye drops that can stop the development of cataracts. Yes, there are vitamin preparations, and our patients love them very much to postpone the moment of surgery. But there is no pill or miracle drops that will prevent the development of the disease. Glasses are also not able to compensate for the clouding. Because if the lens has physically clouded, no glasses will "clarify" it; you won't see as you did at 15-20 years old.

Therefore, only surgery is suitable for treatment. It can be postponed if the patient is satisfied. A person sees only 2-3 lines, and that's fine for him; he doesn't want to be operated on. He will not go blind from this. A cataract is a reversible impairment of vision, but only if all other structures of the eye — the cornea and retina — are healthy. This means that if the lens is replaced with an artificial one, the person will see. But if the retina is damaged, even the most expensive, best artificial lens will not be able to improve vision, meaning the quality of the image will be poor (by analogy with a camera), — said the doctor.

First symptoms of cataracts

— The first symptom of a cataract is blurred vision. Some say that additional circles appear, a halo effect around a light source — this could be oncoming headlights or a light bulb at home. Others say they notice peripheral or central obscurations. Everything depends on the localization of the opacity in the lens. Everything is individual for everyone, but mainly, of course, it's a decrease in visual acuity, — the doctor summarized.

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