Cataract and Glaucoma are eye conditions that can potentially cause loss of vision. However, don’t be confused as they have significant differences.
While cataracts are painless and gradual and are manifested by transparency loss, glaucoma can either be slow and subtle, or quick and painful. Having a cataract results in cloudiness as light is prevented from entering the eye properly, causing blurry vision. Glaucoma is the condition wherein the buildup in the pressure of the eye causes some damage to the optic nerve, which is the critical link of the eye to the brain to process visual information.
Since it is curable for most of the time, cataract, though possible, is an unlikely cause of blindness. On the other hand, glaucoma can cause irreversible blindness and shall be treated accordingly.
Both cataract and glaucoma can be treated surgically however, the loss of vision that the latter can cause cannot be reversed whereas that can be reversed with cataract surgery.
Cataract surgery is quite different from the surgery that treats glaucoma. In the cases of cataract, the cloudy lens of the eye is removed and then replaced with an artificial lens. As for glaucoma, its surgery often involves the use of a laser which is used to open up the tiny canals that are blocked to stop the fluid from escaping from the front of the eye. When the conditions are caught and treated properly, there is a good chance that the outcome can be positive. Glaucoma demands early diagnosis as intervention is necessary.
The symptoms of glaucoma are quite different from cataract as it can suddenly happen and can be the cause of rapid loss of vision along with severe pain, blurred eyesight, and nausea.
For cataract, when it begins to have a detrimental impact on your everyday life, it is the time to have them surgically removed.