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The Truth about Cataracts

By Benjamin B. Chun, M.D.

A Cataract, by definition, is a cloudy lens in the eye that may or may not affect vision significantly. Your eye works like a camera, with a clear lens that focuses images on the retina at the back of your eye. When the lens becomes cloudy and discolored, causing increasingly blurred vision, it is called a cataract. Most people are born with a clear lens that helps to focus an image on a retina. When the lens loses its transparence, the image that we see becomes blurry.
Cataract formation is a normal part of aging; however, there are rare cases of babies born with cataracts. While cataracts may develop in both eyes at the same time, they do not spread from one eye to the other. They are not caused nor do they grow worse through overuse of the eyes, but, as a rule, develop gradually over many years. Cataracts can however increase due to exposure to UV light, certain medications, or a poor diet.
According to the National Eye Institute, by age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract interfering with their vision or have had cataract surgery. You do not have to be a senior citizen to develop a cataract. In fact, you could have developed an age-related cataract by your 50’s or younger.
Symptoms that may suggest you are developing a visually significant cataract include difficulty seeing street signs, watching TV, or reading, despite wearing glasses or contact lenses. Others may have difficulty driving due to glares.
Over time, your vision may get duller or blurrier. You may not even be able to identify blues and purples. You may sometimes see double vision or multiple images in that one eye that has the cataract.
If you or anyone else believes you may have a cataract, or you would like to be seen by Dr. Chun or his associate, contact The Cataract & Laser Institute of PA at (412) 681-8505 or visit the website at www.cataractandlaserinstitute.com for more information.

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