In recent years, the number of elderly people in China who have cataracts has started to increase and the disease has become an important cause of blindness. The lens of the human eye is like a transparent biconvex lens through which light rays converge on the retina. When the lens is cloudy, the transmission of light is affected and the vision becomes unclear, and this clouding of the lens is called cataract.
According to the causes, cataracts can be classified as developmental, senile, concurrent, traumatic, toxic, metabolic disorder, corticosteroid and posterior cataracts. Among them, geriatric cataracts are the most common.
Geriatric cataract is the most common blinding eye disease among the elderly in China. It mostly occurs after the age of 50 and increases with age. In provinces such as Yunnan and Tibet, the probability of cataracts in the elderly is higher than in other provinces due to strong ultraviolet rays and high radiation.
When elderly people suffer from cataracts, at first, they will not feel anything. As time goes by, patients will feel blurred vision and vision loss, but they will not experience symptoms such as eye redness and eye pain. Some patients who were originally presbyopic become myopic instead after getting cataracts. Other patients may feel afraid of sunlight, have trouble seeing against a very bright background, and have difficulty recognizing the faces of acquaintances a few steps away.
The onset of senile cataracts has a process that goes through roughly the following periods.
Initial phase: Grayish-white clouding mostly appears first in the deep cortical part of the equatorial wink of the lens, in a wedge shape and arranged in a radial pattern. When the clouding does not reach the pupil area, vision is mostly not significantly affected.
Swelling phase: Also known as progressive phase, the wedge-shaped clouding gradually bribes the center, and the other parts of the lens also appear with different thicknesses, forming multiple different cloudy areas. The cortical layer is swollen due to the increased water content. At this time, the anterior chamber becomes shallow and the lens often has a uniform texture with a filiform luster. This period may cause glaucoma to develop. At this time, vision loss is already evident and worsens day by day.
Mature stage: After a few months or years, the excess water contained in the lens gradually subsides again and the swelling disappears. The lens becomes completely cloudy and the iris shadow disappears.
Overmature stage: The length of the mature stage is variable. If it is too long, the water is absorbed, the star-shaped pattern of the crystal is lost and becomes uniformly gray-white, or irregular small white dots are shown on the gray-white cloudiness. The crystal fibers liquefy to a milky liquid, and the brownish-yellow crystal nuclei sink below.
Doctors: Wear dark glasses when you go out
The elderly, because the elasticity of the lens is weakened, the ciliary muscle regulation is weakened, reading or writing for a little longer will cause eye swelling and pain, and even headache discomfort. Therefore, the time spent reading and watching TV should be controlled, and every hour you should go outdoors or close your eyes for 10 to 15 minutes. At night or when the light is low, reading time should not be too long, should be a reasonable arrangement of reading and rest. In addition, the following aspects should be noted.
Prevention of dehydration. When the human body is dehydrated, the normal metabolism of fluid in the body is disturbed, and some abnormal chemicals will be produced to damage the lens, leading to the occurrence of cataracts, while for patients with existing cataracts, dehydration can aggravate the condition. Therefore, once you encounter diarrhea and vomiting caused by various reasons, or sweating a lot under high temperature conditions, you should rehydrate in time, and in general, you only need to drink plain water or tea.
Wear dark-colored glasses. The longer you are exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, the more likely you are to suffer from cataracts. Therefore, wearing dark-colored glasses when you go out can reduce the exposure of your eyes to ultraviolet rays, and elderly people whose eyesight decreases after the age of 60 should wear tawny sunglasses to prevent further vision loss and the occurrence of cataracts.
Adequate intake of vitamin C. The amount of vitamin C in the human eye is about 30 times higher than in the blood. As we age, the nutrient absorption function and metabolic function gradually decline, the lens becomes malnourished, and the vitamin C content decreases significantly, causing lens degeneration over time and leading to cataracts. Vitamin C can also weaken the damage of light and oxygen to the lens, which has the effect of preventing the formation of senile cataract.
Nurse: Post-operative eye care is important
Cataract patients should pay attention to the following aspects.
1. Cataract is a condition in which the transparent crystals in the eye gradually become opaque with aging, resulting in vision loss or even invisibility. However, it can be completely treated by surgery and can see again. Therefore, with cataract, don’t be nervous psychologically.
2. Cataracts develop slowly and should be checked regularly at the hospital before surgery can be performed. When surgery is needed, listen to the doctor’s instruction for timely surgery.
3.Diseases affecting cataract surgery such as diabetes, hypertension, respiratory disease and heart disease should be actively treated.
4.When washing face and bathing within one week after surgery, avoid getting sewage into the eyes. 3 months, avoid rubbing and colliding with the operated eye. It is also necessary to pay attention to rest and avoid strenuous exercise and weight-bearing to avoid excessive force and high eye pressure that may cause the surgical incision to crack. Those with constipation and cough should be controlled with medication. It is necessary to use the eyesight less and to follow up and check regularly.
5. If you have vision loss again after surgery, go to the ophthalmology department to check if there are other eye diseases affecting vision.
Family members: Normally take care of your health
The most important thing to take care of cataract patients is to let them take care of their health.
First, pay attention to spiritual regimen: take things in stride, be broad-minded, keep your emotions comfortable, and control your anger. Cultivate the interest in raising flowers, birds and goldfish to cultivate sentiment, and talk with young people more often, which can distract attention from unpleasant things and stimulate vigorous enthusiasm for life, which can play a role in stopping and delaying the progress of the disease.
Second, strengthen eye hygiene, usually do not use hands to rub the eyes, do not use unclean handkerchiefs, towels to wipe the eyes, wash the eyes. After excessive use of the eyes should be properly relaxed, sedentary workers should get up at intervals of 1 to 2 hours for 10 to 15 minutes, raise the eyes and look far away, or do eye exercises. Have enough sleep to recover from fatigue in time.
Third, actively prevent and treat chronic diseases, including eye diseases and systemic diseases. Especially, diabetes is most likely to complicate cataracts, so it is necessary to control blood sugar effectively in time to prevent further development of the disease.
Diet should be rich in protein, calcium and trace elements, and eat more food containing vitamin A, B, C and D. Eating more fish can maintain normal vision and slow down the progress of the disease.
Smoking has been proven to be prone to cataracts, so you should quit smoking early.