What causes opacity in cataracts?

What causes opacity in cataracts?

Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye’s lens. Proteins and fibers in the lens begin to break down, causing vision to become hazy or cloudy.

What causes posterior capsular cataract?

What causes posterior subcapsular cataracts? PSC is caused by the buildup and clumping of protein fibers in the back of the lens, just in front of the posterior lens capsule. This clumping of proteins disrupts the transparency of the lens fibers, resulting in opacities in the lens.

Which type of cataract is caused by central opacity of the lens?

Nuclear cataract It is caused by the hardening and discoloration (yellowing) of the lens. This type of cataract forms deep in the central area, or nucleus of the lens. Over time, this type of cataract changes the eye’s ability to focus.

Can lens cause cataract?

A cataract develops when the lens in your eye, which is normally clear, becomes foggy. For your eye to see, light passes through a clear lens. The lens is behind your iris (colored part of your eye). The lens focuses the light so that your brain and eye can work together to process information into a picture.

What is polar cataract?

Posterior polar cataract, a distinctive subtype of lens opacity, presents as an area of degenerative and malformed lens fibers that form an opacity in the central posterior subcapsular area of the lens. Often, this opacity is adherent to the lens capsule, thereby making uncomplicated surgical removal problematic.

What are the risks of YAG laser capsulotomy?

Risks

• Detachment of the nerve layer at the back of the eye (retinal detachment).
• Swelling of the center of the retina (macular edema).
• Damage or displacement of the intraocular lens.
• Bleeding into the front of the eye.
• Swelling of the clear covering of the eye (corneal edema).

What is posterior polar cataract?

A posterior polar cataract is a round, discoid, opaque mass (see the image below) that is composed of malformed and distorted lens fibers located in the central posterior part of the lens. This location is its most significant feature, in addition to its proximity to and possible adherence with the posterior capsule.

What causes fast growing cataracts?

Trauma-related cataracts are typically the most fast-growing type of cataracts. Radiation: Radiation-related cataracts, sometimes listed under trauma-related cataracts, occur after the lens has been exposed to radiation. Exposure to high levels of radiation can result in clouded vision in as little as two years.

What causes polar cataract?

It has been suggested that posterior polar cataracts are caused by persistence of the hyaloid artery6,7 or invasion of the lens by mesoblastic tissue. 8,9 It appears that posterior polar cataract forms during embryonic life or early in infancy and usually becomes symptomatic 30–50 years later.

How are polar cataracts treated?

Treatment: When posterior polar cataracts become visually significant (either in infancy if the cataracts are large enough to be amblyogenic, or in adulthood when they cause glare), they can be surgically removed. However, the high risk of posterior capsular rupture makes surgical removal often very difficult.

Where is the posterior polar cataract opacity located?

Posterior polar cataract presents as a distinctive discoid lens opacity situated posteriorly, adjacent to the posterior capsule.

How are cataracts classified according to their opacities?

Cataracts types are defined by where the opacities exist within the lens and graded by how severe the opacities are at that location. Nuclear sclerotic cataract (NS) – Cloudiness of the nucleus, the central portion of the lens.

What does cortical spoking cataract ( CS ) mean?

Cortical spoking cataract (CS) – Swelling of the cortex causing spoke/wedge-like peripheral cloudiness. Posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) – Opacity in the posterior capsule of the lens, often seen in younger individuals, steroid users, and diabetics.

What causes capsular opacification after cataract surgery?

Along with the residual capsule, LECs that have the potential to lay down cellular products are also left behind. These again cause opacification, which is referred to as capsular opacification. Thus, capsular opacification is a physiological postoperative consequence of an uneventful uncomplicated extracapsular cataract surgery.