Cataracts+5a

=__**Cataracts**__= A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. (Elana Carroll)

**Group Members:**Emily Jonas, Elana Carroll, and Peter Kelly
Gladys Smith is 81. She has developed blurry vision. She goes to the doctor to find out what's wrong. The doctor diagnoses her with cataracts. He gives Gladys the option to have small incision cataract surgery. She knows that there are certain risk factors to having this surgery such as infections of eye, other eye diseases like high myopia (near sightedness), or floaters. (Elana Carroll)
 * __Patient History:__**

====__**Diagnois:**__ In the picture at the right, you can see that the one lens is more clouded than the other. In the normal lens, the light coming from the optic nerve is shining more brightly than the one that is effected by cataracts. This causes the person not to be able to see clearly and would have the vision like the picture on the left. (Emily Jonas)==== = = The most common symptoms of a cataract are: (Emily Jonas)
 * Cloudy or blurry vision.
 * Colors seem faded.
 * Glare. Headlights, lamps, or sunlight may appear too bright. A halo may appear around lights.
 * Poor night vision.
 * Double vision or multiple images in one eye. (This symptom may clear as the cataract gets larger.)
 * Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
 * These symptoms also can be a sign of other eye problems. If you have any of these symptoms, check with your eye care professional.

**__Treatments:__**

 * 1) =====**Phacoemulsification**, or **phaco**. A small incision is made on the side of the cornea. Your doctor inserts a tiny probe into the eye.=====
 * 2) **Extracapsular surgery**. Your doctor makes a longer incision on the side of the cornea and removes the cloudy core of the lens in one piece. The rest of the lens is removed by suction. (Peter Kelly)


 * After the natural lens is taken out, a fake lens called an intraocular lens (IOL), is put in. The IOL is a clear, plastic covering that does all the same things that a natural lens would do. Some people cannot have an IOL. They may have another eye disease or have problems during surgery. For these patients, a soft contact lens, or glasses that provide high magnification, may be suggested. (Peter Kelly)