When your vision begins to change, conditions like cataracts and glaucoma can be worrisome. Although both affect your eyesight, they vary greatly in symptoms, causes, and how they're treated. Understanding these distinctions is essential for proper treatment.
What Are Cataracts?
Cataracts occur when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, leading to blurry vision and sensitivity to light. This condition is often associated with aging but can also result from eye injuries, prolonged steroid use, or medical conditions like diabetes.
Common symptoms of cataracts include:
- Cloudy or blurry vision.
- Increased sensitivity to glare, especially at night.
- Colors appearing faded or dull.
- Difficulty seeing in low-light conditions.
Cataracts progress slowly and can be treated with surgery to replace the cloudy lens with a clear artificial one.
Understanding Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a condition that affects the optic nerve, usually caused by increased eye pressure. Unlike cataracts, it can silently progress, potentially leading to irreversible vision loss if not treated.
Typical symptoms of glaucoma are:
- Gradual loss of peripheral (side) vision, often unnoticed at first.
- In advanced cases, tunnel vision.
- In rare acute cases, severe eye pain, nausea, and blurred vision.
To manage glaucoma, long-term treatments like eye drops, laser surgery, or surgical procedures are used to control eye pressure and stop the damage from worsening.
How Cataracts and Glaucoma Differ
Although both cataracts and glaucoma affect your vision, they differ significantly in how they develop and are treated:
| Feature | Cataracts | Glaucoma |
|---|---|---|
| Cause of Condition | Clouding of the eye's lens. | Damage to the optic nerve, often from high eye pressure. |
| Pattern of Vision Loss | Blurriness and glare sensitivity. | Peripheral vision loss progressing to tunnel vision. |
| Treatment | Surgical replacement of the lens. | Medications, laser therapy, or surgery to reduce eye pressure. |
The key takeaway? Cataracts primarily affect the clarity of your vision, while glaucoma affects the field of vision and can lead to irreversible blindness if untreated.
