Cataract Diagnosis

Find a Cataract Specialist at Eyes.com When your vision begins to blur or starts to get foggy, you may be developing cataracts. There is no way to diagnose cataracts except by administering certain tests, so you should see your eye doctor for a thorough examination of your eyes.

He or she will want to rule out other possible eye problems, and will examine your general health history. Some systemic diseases can cause eye problems, such as diabetes, which leads to Diabetic Retinopathy.

A Slit-Lamp Examination

A slit-lamp is a floor-standing microscope that gives your eye doctor a magnified and clear view of eye structures. Its name comes from the fact that it uses a narrow line of intense light to illuminate small sections of the eye’s interior.

The cornea can be closely examined in this way, as can the iris, the area between the cornea and iris, and the lens. By setting the magnification correctly, your eye doctor can see the cataracts forming inside the lens.

A Vision Test

This test uses the Snellen Eye Chart to test your visual acuity. Visual acuity is your sharpness of vision – what you see when you focus directly on an object.

With one eye covered, you are asked to read the smallest line of letters that you can clearly see on the eye chart. In past years, this eye chart was hung on the wall, but now most doctors use a digital version inside the phoropter. You sit and look through the machine’s aperture. The chart can be set at reading distance (16 inches away) or at a far distance, and you will be asked to read from it in both settings. This gives your eye doctor the data for writing your prescription, and tells him or her whether your vision has deteriorated since the last time you were tested.

A Retinal Examination

For this test, you are given eyedrops to dilate the pupils. This enables your eye doctor to see the retina more clearly. The slit lamp may be used, or a hand-held ophthalmoscope, to detect any signs of a cataract by determining the density of the opacity.

Your doctor can also check for glaucoma while doing this test. Like cataracts, glaucoma is typically age-related and gives no early symptoms. It can be diagnosed by the presence of whitish-looking damage to the optic nerve where it leaves the retina.

From these three tests, your eye doctor can determine if you have cataracts, how advanced they are, and whether you might also have other problems of the retina such as macular degeneration. You can read about the three types of cataracts at What Causes Cataracts?

Cataracts can only be removed by removing the eye’s lens. This is done in Lens Replacement Surgery, and an artificial lens is inserted to restore your vision.

For more information about cataracts, you can refer to Cataract Symptoms.

To find a cataract eye surgeon in your area, please visit our eye surgeon directory.