Dr Somdutt Prasad Cataract Symptoms and Surgery Procedure

To understand Cataract symptoms and its surgery procedure first we need the answer of the question “what is Cataract?”

Cataract – The lens of eyes acts like the lens of camera and focuses the light on the retina and makes the things visible to you. Sometimes after the age of around 45 years the lens begin starts cloudy due to the breaking of proteins of the lens and the vision becomes blurry, fuzzy and cloudy, this cloudy lens is referred to as cataract. The only way of removing cataract or cataract treatment is getting through an eye surgery procedure which is referred as cataract surgery.

Generally, the process of cataract formation is very slow and painless but due to some reasons the cataract formation may speed up.

Below are the situations when the cataract formation may speed up:

1. Due to diabetes
2. Eye Inflammation or any eye injury like trauma
3. Long term use of steroids
4. Smoking
5. Eye Surgery for another reason
6. Radiation Exposure
7. Too much exposure to sunlight (Ultraviolet Light)
8. Eye diseases like uveitis

Symptoms of Cataract

Cataract formation affects the vision very slowly and painlessly but with the time vision gets worse.

1. If the lens is covered with mild clouding, the vision is not affected that much, often it occurs after the age of 60 years.

2. But by the age of 75, most people have cataracts that may badly affect the eye vision. The following changes can be noticed as the effects of cataract:

– Loss of color intensity
– Fuzzy, Cloudy, or foggy vision
– Glare sensitivity
– Frequent change in glasses number
– Night time or dim light vision problem
– Double vision (Seeing more than one thing or colors)
– Feeling difference between same shapes and colors
– Seeing halos around lights

In advanced cases the pain, redness and watering due to inflammation or secondary glaucoma may be considered as symptoms of cataract.

Even in daylight the cataract patient feel decreased vision, generally cataract is formed in both the eyes and both are affected with same decreased vision, but sometime one eye may be worse than another.

Treatment of Cataract or Cataract Surgery

A detailed eye checkup is required to detect the presence of cataract and the need of cataract surgery. Cataract Surgery results in the removal of cataract from the eyes. After cataract is treated you will be able to see the things much clearly and perform well in your daily activities. Although the modern day medical technology has reduced the risks of any type of treatment, but like every surgery cataract surgery also has some exceptions like after going through the surgery you might not be able to get a 20/20 vision if you have some other eye problem, but if you are getting the cataract treatment from any reputed ophthalmologist, he/she usually determine this problem in advance and let you know about it.

If the cataract symptoms are not bothering you too much then cataract surgery may not be needed, a small change in the eyeglasses may be adequate

Dr Somdutt Prasad is an eye and retinal specialist in Kolkata. A famous ophthalmologist in India, he is adept in treatment of all eye conditions.

Common & easy to practice eye care tips by Dr Somdutt Prasad

Good eye care is not just about visiting an eye doctor. A lot of it depends on our daily habits and actions. Noted ophthalmologist and retinal specialist Dr Somdutt Prasad discusses some common and easy to practice eye care tips.

Eat healthy food

The first step that you can take to protect your vision is to eat healthy foods. Have a diet rich containing Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and lutein. These nutrients will help prevent diseases such as macular degeneration and cataract. Eat a lot of green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts, beans, etc.

Avoid fiddling too much with digital gadgets

Digital gadgets such as smartphones, pads, tablets, etc. emit blue-violet rays that are extremely harmful to our eyes. Continuous use of these gadgets puts excessive pressure on our eyes and resulting in strain and fatigue.  Hence, one must avoid fiddling too much with these gadgets.

Take frequent breaks while working in front of computers

Today, most of us work for long hours in front of computers. Staring at long hours can cause eyestrain, blurry vision, dryness, etc. Hence, it is vital to take frequent breaks and follow the 20-20 rule to protect vision. When you do these, you blink more often and this brings tears to the corneal surface keeping them moist.

In case you face any difficulty in your vision, you must visit an eye specialist at the earliest.

Food for healthy eyes

Nutrients are important to keep our eyes healthy. Many pieces of research have shown that antioxidants and other vital nutrients reduce the risk of macular degeneration, cataracts and several other eye diseases. In this article, Dr Somdutt Prasad talks about the foods required for keeping our eyes healthy.

Green leafy vegetables

Dark green leafy vegetables should be an important part of our diet as they help protect against diseases such as macular degeneration. Vegetables such as spinach, kale and lettuce contain zeaxanthin and lutein. These two important nutrients help prevent cell damage and have antioxidant functions.

Fatty and oily fish

Oily fishes such as tuna, sardines and salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3-fatty acids help protect against dry eye syndrome and age-related macular degeneration. Omega-3 fatty acids help modulate inflammation which can result in dry eyes.

Wheat Germ

Wheat Germ is a rich source of Vitamin E, another vital antioxidant. Vitamin E protects eyes from free-radical damages and decreases progression of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. These germs can be easily sprinkled on salads, yogurt and oatmeal.

Beans

Beans and legumes are rich sources of zinc that help release Vitamin A from the liver. Deficiency of zinc deteriorates the macula. Pumpkin seeds, poultry and oysters are also rich sources of zinc.

Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits are rich sources of Vitamin C. Vitamin C help reduce risks of cataracts and macular degeneration.

It is vital to have all the essential nutrients through a healthy diet that includes a lot of fruits and vegetables.

Basic Eye Safety by Dr Somdutt Prasad

An eye injury can dramatically change our lives. Hence, it is our duty to protect them from any sort of injury. Be it at work or home, we must ensure proper safety of our eyes. In this article, Dr Somdutt Prasad presents a few basic eye safety tips.

Eye safety tips at work

The most common agents for eye injury at work include:

• Flying objects
• Chemicals
• Harmful radiation
• Tools
• Particles such as dust, sand, wood, etc.

Workers experience an injury at work because often they do not wear the right protective eye gears. It is important to conduct an eye hazard assessment and remove it at the earliest.

Protective eye gears at work

Some of the protective eye gears at work include:

• Goggles: They provide protection against chemical splashes and dust.
• Face shields: Face shields protect eyes from heat and chemicals.
• Safety glasses: The lenses and frames of safety glasses are stronger than regular glasses and protect eyes from flying particles.
• Helmets with special filters: These protect eyes from radiation.

Eye injury at home

Chemicals, household cleaners and toys are the common items through which our eyes can get injured at home. Cleaning yard, garden or garage can also injure our eyes. Debris from yard or garden can enter eyes at high-speed injuring them.

However, the injuries can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. While spraying fertilizers, pesticides or other chemicals, it is important to wear protective goggles. Tools must be used with proper care and must be kept at a distance from eyes.

Even after taking precautionary measures if an injury occurs, consult an eye doctor immediately. Your doctor will diagnose the nature of the injury and treat accordingly.