Cataracts
When a foggy buildup of protein covers the eye’s lens and allows less light to pass through.
Imagine your glass lenses are cloudy from an accumulation of dirt and smudges, obstructing your vision while you perform everyday tasks. That is essentially what happens with cataracts – a foggy, film-like buildup of protein covers the eye’s lens and worsens eyesight as less light is able to pass through.
How Cataracts Impacts Vision
Though common knowledge says that a cataract merely causes blurred vision, it can actually cause other eyebrow-raising symptoms, such as progressive nearsightedness (aka “second sight”), double vision, and an altered perception of color (think of that film as an Instagram filter).
Cataract Causes
There are four primary types of cataract causes:
- Age-related: This happens after a longtime buildup of protein and susceptibility as a result of deteriorating eye health.
- Congenital: This can be summed up as a birth defect.
- Secondary: Which means cataracts may come as a consolation prize for having diabetes.
- Traumatic: As you might imagine – caused by blunt trauma.