Cataract is a condition where the natural clear lens starts becoming opaque and block the path of light which often interfere with the vision.
Another classical issue faced is a ring of light around every light-based object often due in various colors due to the diffraction of light. These Halos (as they are known) can be observed in car headlights and street lights too. Sometimes the scattering of light can cause glare which is typically dangerous especially while driving at light.
There is a tendency to change the power of your glasses very frequently and vision might not get fully correct with any glass power that you may try. Cataract formation also leads to change in contrast and colours of objects which make the general perception of surroundings dull.
Any of the above symptom suggest that have cataract. The best part of this condition is that it is not life threatening and completely treatable by a minor painless surgery.
Types of Cataracts:
Cataracts are of multiple types and have different impacts on your vision. not only impact the cause will also be different. The common cataracts are Nuclear, Cortical, Posterior subcapsular, congenital, traumatic, radiation etc.
For diagnosis the surgeon may use retinal Visual Acuity Test, Slit Lamp Examination and Retinal Exam to determine the type of Cataract.
The types of surgeries include Traditional Cataract Surgery (Larger incision with stitches), Manual Small-incision surgery, Micro incision Cataract Surgery or Robotic femtosecond laser surgery.
Newborns:
Some Newborn babies also have cataracts because the lens has not been formed the way they should have. This is known as Congenital Cataract. Also some cataract develop due to infection/illness while the baby is in womb or after birth, these are known as Developmental Cataracts, but it is important to diagnose it early and get it treated for long-term vision improvements. Your pediatrician should be able to help you with those conditions. A baby cannot explain the difficulty to their parents as they don't know exactly what a corrected vision is but an examination by the doctor can tell you if there is a problem. by the time babies are 4 months old they should be able to look around the room and focus on certain objects. if you find your baby unable to do that then its time for an inspection.
About the surgery:
When blurry vision starts impacting your life, then is the time to visit your ophthalmologist and he/she may recommend surgery. The surgery is a small procedure of about Ten minutes and is usually conducted with local/Topical anesthesia that is by use of a numbing eye drops.
During the surgery the cataractous lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens which in addition to increasing the amount of light also can reduce your dependence on spectacles.
Different type of intra ocular lenses
Prevention:
Since most common form of Cataract is and Age Related Cataract, there is no way to prevent it by medications, glasses, exercise or yoga. Surgery is the only option to cure this condition which by modern technology has become completely safe and a walkin walkout procedure with no hospital stay with added advantage of chance of completely glasses free.