What are cataracts?

Cataracts are a normal aging change to the lens inside the eye.

The lens of the eye sits behind your iris, the colored part of your eye, and it focuses light on your retina, the neural tissue that lines the back of your eye.

Starting in your late thirties/early forties, the lens inside the eye starts to become denser and more difficult to move. The lens becomes less able to focus and this is why at some point everyone needs reading glasses. 

Then as we get into our fifties and beyond, the lens also gets cloudy and discolored. Essentially, it becomes like you are looking through frosted glass or a dirty window instead of a clear lens. 

The early symptoms include more glare, especially when driving at night. Other symptoms include, reduced color perception, reduced contrast perception and a reduction in your visual acuity (you won’t be 20/20 anymore). 

We do not have a good predictive model for how cataracts change over time. Things like smoking, diabetes, certain medications, and UV damage can cause cataracts to progress faster. 

Eventually, you can opt to have cataract surgery where they replace your cloudy natural lens with a clear implant. This is done with an ophthalmologist at a surgical center. You will need clearance from your primary care doctor before the procedure. The surgery is done one eye at a time at least two weeks apart. It is done under twilight anesthesia, like a colonoscopy, not with general anesthesia, so it is well tolerated and safe. The recovery includes drops like anti-inflammatories and antibiotics and a few follow ups- 1 day, 1 week, 1 month after surgery. A month after both eyes are completed, you can see your optometrist for updated glasses.