What Are Cataracts?

Cataracts are a normal occurrence in an aging eye: your normally clear lens, located in your eye, begins to cloud over with the gradual build-up of naturally-occurring proteins. Instead of allowing light to enter properly, the cloudy lens creates a foggy appearance to everything you see.

This process does not happen overnight. It is typically a slow development that makes it increasingly difficult to see things clearly and perform daily tasks.

image showing what vision looks like with a cataract and without

Symptoms of Cataracts

While cataracts are typically associated with aging, they can also occur due to disease, injury, birth defect or certain medications. Symptoms can include:

  • Hazy/blurry/cloudy vision
  • Glare and starbursts with night driving
  • Dull appearance of colors
  • Vision takes on a yellowish/brownish tint
  • Eye sensitivity in bright light

Types of Cataracts

You can have a cataract in one or both eyes. The position of your cataract will affect what type of vision disturbance you have.

  • Nuclear cataract: occurs in the center of the lens, often creating temporary near vision improvement but often blurry distance vision
  • Cortical cataract: occurs around the edges of the lens, often resulting in spoke-like opacities that move to the center of the lens causing glares
  • Subcapsular cataract: occurs at the back of the lens, often masking symptoms until the later stages causing reading problems and glares

Cataract Treatment in Harrisburg

While there is no cure for cataracts, cataract surgery is a very common and effective procedure to restore clear vision. At Schein Ernst Mishra Eye, we perform exams to assess your cataract development and recommend cataract surgery when necessary. All surgeries are performed in our state-of-the-art surgery center located at our Harrisburg location.

Learn more about cataracts by visiting semecataracts.com.

Contact us today to schedule an eye exam and learn more about your eye health.

location thumbnail

Harrisburg

10 Capital Drive, Suite 300
Harrisburg PA 17110

location thumbnail

LEMOYNE

717 Market Street, Suite 112
Lemoyne, PA 17043