Symptoms and types

Allocate the following main groups of a cataract: congenital cataracts and the acquired cataracts.

At congenital cataracts of turbidity in a crystalline lens, as a rule, are limited on the area and don't progress (стационарны), the acquired cataracts have a progressing current.

Because of emergence (etiology) the acquired cataracts share on some groups:

• age (senile, senile) cataracts;

• traumatic cataracts (arisen as as a result of a stupid trauma (contusion), and getting wound of an eyeball);

• the complicated cataracts (at an inflammation of a vascular cover of an eye (twine), short-sightedness of high degree, glaucoma, a pigmentary degeneration of a retina and some other diseases of an eye);

• beam cataracts (connected with crystalline lens damage by radiant energy) – infrared beams (usually professional cataracts – for example, a cataract of glass blowers), x-ray, radiation;

• toxic cataracts (the large number of the "medicinal" cataracts which are forming as result of collateral action at long reception of a number of medicines belongs to this group also: corticosteroids, anti-malarial preparations, амиодарона, etc.);

• cataracts caused by the general diseases of an organism (diabetes, a hypothyroidism, metabolism diseases).

Depending on localization of pomutneniye in substance of a crystalline lens, a cataract are subdivided into the following types:

• forward polar cataract;

• back polar cataract;

• spindle-shaped cataract;

layered (zonular) cataract;

• nuclear cataract;

• kortikalny (cortical) cataract;

• back subkapsulyarny cataract;

• otalny (full) cataract.

On maturity degrees, an age cataract divide into four stages:

• initial cataract;

• unripe cataract;

• mature cataract;

• overripe cataract.

The cataract usually begins with crystalline lens bark (a kortikalny cataract), a kernel (a nuclear cataract) or subkapsulyarno (a subkapsulyarny cataract). For an age cataract cortical localization of pomutneniye (92%) is typical. The nuclear cataract meets considerably in smaller percent of cases (7-8%).

Initial cataract. The first symptoms of a cataract are processes of an ovodneniye of a crystalline lens – a congestion in it excess amount of liquid. This liquid accumulates in a cortical layer of a crystalline lens between fibers in compliance with an arrangement of seams. "water cracks" are formed so-called. Appear characteristic plane turbidity in bark a bit later. They are most expressed on the crystalline lens periphery, in the field of the equator. Upon transition of such pomutneniye from a lobby on a back surface of a crystalline lens they get a typical form of "equestrians".

Unripe cataract. Gradual progressing of process is reduced to advance of pomutneniye in the direction of capsules of a crystalline lens and in the central optical zone. If at an initial cataract of turbidity were localized out of an optical zone – in the field of the equator – and their existence didn't affect visual acuity, at an unripe cataract the expressed turbidity of substance of a crystalline lens leads to noticeable decrease in visual acuity.

Mature cataract. All area of bark of a crystalline lens is occupied with pomutneniye. Sometimes this stage is subdivided into a stage of almost mature cataract when in bark are available extensive turbidity, and visual acuity varies ranging from 0,1-0,2 (one – two lines of the table), to the 100-th (the account of fingers at the person) and the mature cataract, being characterized full turbidity of substance of a crystalline lens and decrease in visual acuity to svetooshchushcheniye level.

Overripe cataract. Further progressing of a cataract is accompanied by disintegration of lenticular fibers. The cortical substance of a crystalline lens is diluted therefore the capsule of a crystalline lens becomes folded. Bark gets a uniform (homogeneous) milky-white shade. More dense kernel owing to the weight falls from top to bottom. Such crystalline lens reminds a sack. The similar become overripe cataract carries the name морганиева? a cataract.

Complaints to feeling of doubling of subjects, emergence of "front sights" or spots before eyes, a yellowish shade of the visible image, difficulty at the reading, connected with contrast violation between letters and the general background can be one of the first symptoms (symptoms) of a disease. Visual acuity at an early stage of a cataract practically doesn't suffer. Duration of an initial stage can proceed from 1-3 to 10-15 years.

When maturing cataract described above the complaint gradually progress, the patient starts noting decrease in visual acuity. In a stage of a mature cataract subject sight is lost, remains the only svetooshchushcheny.