What is the “white” in front of you?

This is the 3600th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Be careful if your eyes have the following conditions! Many elderly people don’t know…

Do you feel like you have double vision recently?

Have you noticed that there are often fixed shadows in the form of dots or sheets in front of your eyes recently?

Do you feel that everything you see is becoming blurry or even impossible to distinguish colors?

——Be careful! You may have cataracts! Cataracts are one of the main causes of blindness in the elderly.

So, what is cataract? Will the eyes become whiter if you have cataract? Next, our popular science team will answer them one by one for you.

1. What is cataract?

As we age, the metabolism of a substance called the lens in the eye becomes disordered, resulting in partial or complete loss of the properties and functions of the proteins it contains. After a series of changes, the lens gradually becomes cloudy, which develops into cataracts. Therefore, the "white" of cataracts is not the whitening of the eyeball, but the change of the lens from its original transparent texture to cloudy, just like turning "white". This also reminds the elderly that whether they have cataracts cannot be judged by looking in the mirror and observing the changes in the color of the eyeball, but they need to pay more attention to changes in their own vision.

2. What are the symptoms of cataracts?

1. Blurred vision: Things appear foggy and it is difficult to distinguish objects with blurred boundaries.

2. Changes in color vision: The cloudy lens absorbs more blue light, which reduces the sensitivity of the affected eye to blue light, making it more difficult to distinguish blue objects.

3. Day blindness or night blindness: Day blindness means that the vision is worse in bright light than in dim light. Night blindness means that the vision is unclear or completely invisible in dim light or at night.

4. Monocular polyopia: In the early stages of cataract, the lens is partially cloudy and partially transparent, and the image of objects projected onto the retina by light passing through it will produce double or multiple images.

5. Iridescence: A circle of colorful halo appears around the light source, like a rainbow after rain, and the arrangement order is often green inside and red outside.

6. Dark shadows in front of eyes: Point-like or sheet-like shadows with fixed positions and unchanged shapes may appear in front of eyes.

3. How to treat cataracts?

Cataracts are mostly treated with surgery, and drug treatment is not very effective. Nowadays, it is more recommended to use artificial lens implantation surgery, which has a small incision, less tissue damage, short operation time, and rapid vision recovery.

IV. Questions and Answers about Surgery

1. Question: I have hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease. Can I also have surgery?

Answer: After examination by medical staff, if blood pressure, blood sugar, heart function, etc. are controlled within the range required for the operation, the operation can be performed.

2. Question: Is the surgery effective? Can it cure the problem permanently?

A: Cataract surgery is effective for most elderly people. However, some elderly cataract patients may experience blurred vision after surgery. This is not a cause for concern. Seek medical attention promptly.

3. Question: After the surgery, I can see things much more clearly! Do I still need to pay attention to eye protection?

A: Of course! To maintain the effects of cataract surgery, you need to take daily careful care: wear a hard eye mask before going to bed; avoid excessive eye fatigue, especially fine eye activities, such as reading books and newspapers, which are best done in the morning; pay attention to light adjustment, avoid direct exposure to glaring sunlight and strong light bulbs, etc.

Cataracts are a topic that the elderly cannot avoid, but through early detection, early surgery, and early care, cataracts can be effectively treated and healthy vision can be restored. The "white" in front of your eyes will no longer be white!

(All illustrations are original)

Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Class of 2018, Nursing

Graphic design: Yuan Huiwen

Written by: Wu Jie, Fan Yijun, Yin Hongfan

Instructors: Tao Xingjuan, Zhang Yaqing

Some pictures are taken from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please let us know and they will be deleted.

All names and place names are pseudonyms and any similarity is purely coincidental.