Cataract is the most common reason why many people over the age of 60 lose their vision. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in the country. The natural lens experiences a blur due to protein deposition in this condition. There are mainly three types of cataracts according to the type of deposition. They are Subcapsular Cataract, Nuclear Cataract, and Cortical Cataract.

Causes of cataract
Cataract is mainly caused due to the degeneration of the components of the lens of an eye.

Symptoms of cataract
There are numerous symptoms of cataract. The patient may experience the symptoms more prominently with the advancement of the deposition. The risk factors for which one can easily incur cataracts are given below:

• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Exposure to harmful radiation
• Excessive smoking
• Excessive exposure to sunlight without a protection of the eye

As long as the deposition is at the lower levels no blurriness may occur. It increases with due course of time. This is one of the main symptoms of cataracts.

The other symptom which one can experience while having a cataract is a difficulty regarding night vision. It gets affected because with advancement the deposition changes to yellow or brown tinge.

A cataract patient can have increased sensitivity towards the light. Bright light projections to the eyes of a patient can be painful. The reading vision is hampered in this kind of formation of a cataract because it forms at the back of the lens.

A patient of cataract can experience a halo around the light source at times. This is another symptom which ensures the formation of a cataract. Rings are formed around every light source which can make driving at night very difficult for the patient. If someone needs new glasses frequently, he/she can have a cataract. One should go to the doctor quickly instead of buying stronger glasses. Quick treatments of cataract can improve the eyes to a large extent.

If a patient is rapidly developing cataracts, the world may start to seem yellow or brownish for him/her. In most of the cases, one will not be able to distingue any other colors clearly.

Treatments for cataract
There are some efficient surgical methods which can help a patient to get rid of cataract for a longer period of time.

• Phacoemulsification
  This is the most common surgical method to treat cataract. The doctor will make a tiny incision in the eye of the patient very near to the cornea. A tiny ultrasound probe is then inserted through the incision which uses ultrasound vibrations for phacoemulsification of the lens which is clouded by protein deposition. This surgery is mostly used because it takes just 30 minutes to complete. Moreover, it is painless and instantly effective in getting a clear vision.
• Extracapsular surgery for cataract
  This surgical method is used for advanced levels of protein depositions which are beyond the levels of Phacoemulsification. A larger incision on the eye is needed in case of this surgery as the cataract can be removed intact in a single piece. An artificial lens is installed in the eye with the Phacoemulsification technique. It requires an injection for numbing the surrounding parts of the eye which is operated.
• Intracapsular Cataract Surgery
  In this surgery, the entire lens and the capsule are removed. It is a method mainly used to treat an eye with a prominent trauma of the eye related to cataract.