Special Health Reports

Clearing the Fog of Cataracts

$18.00
CAT_CataractsGuide_CAT0323_cover

Clearing the Fog of Cataracts

Clearing the Fog of Cataracts clears away the confusion and misinformation around cataracts. Discover the truth about whether you really need cataract surgery. Plus resources to find the right surgeon and a step-by-step guide to everything you need to know about surgery if you choose to have it. Even better, you’ll find out the secrets to protecting your eyes and vision at any age.

Other Product Information

Are there times you notice your vision is hazy… and you worry it could be cataracts?

Impaired vision is a scary thing. It can mean more accidents, trouble with everyday tasks, and even the loss of your precious independence.

And, yes, cataract surgery is an option. It’s got a great success rate and few complications. But who really wants to go under the knife before it’s needed?

Now Harvard doctors reveal everything you need to know about cataracts in the Harvard Medical School Guide Clearing the Fog of Cataracts.  

Cataract surgery can give you clearer vision. But is it right for you?

Believe it or not, even if you’re diagnosed with cataracts, you may not need surgery. Now you can discover how simple at-home strategies can help you preserve your active lifestyle while delaying surgery.

You’ll also become a savvy consumer should you and your doctor decide surgery is a good option for you, including how to find the right surgeon, how to prepare for surgery, and things you can do to help keep your eyes healthy during recovery and beyond. .

In this Harvard Medical School Guide, you’ll find out the latest evidence-based solutions including:

  • The 5-step solution to catching cataracts early, before they damage your vision
  • Why quitting this bad habit has the little-known bonus benefit of improving eyesight
  • The artificial lens you probably want to avoid if you drive at night
  • The “eagle eyes diet” that may keep you cataract-free
  • 5 questions to ask your surgeon to get the best results
  • When you should only have surgery on one eye at a time
  • And much more!

Clearing the Fog of Cataracts clears away the confusion and misinformation around cataracts. Discover the truth about whether you really need cataract surgery. Plus resources to find the right surgeon and a step-by-step guide to everything you need to know about surgery if you choose to have it. Even better, you’ll find out the secrets to protecting your eyes and vision at any age.

If you’re concerned about developing cataracts or you’ve already been diagnosed, be sure to order Clearing the Fog of Cataracts today!

Prepared by the editors of Harvard Health Publishing in conjunction with Deborah S. Jacobs, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School Faculty, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service, and Director, Ocular Surface Imaging Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear (2023).

About Harvard Medical School Guides

Harvard Medical School Guides delivers compact, practical information on important health concerns. These publications are smaller in scope than our Special Health Reports, but they are written in the same clear, easy-to-understand language, and they provide the authoritative health advice you expect from Harvard Health Publishing.

Cataract types

Cataracts come in three types: nuclear sclerotic, cortical, and posterior subcapsular. You may have just one of these types, or a combination of them.

Nuclear sclerotic cataracts are the age-related type of cataract that ophthalmologists see most often. They cloud the nucleus, or center of the lens, turning it yellow and then eventually a brown color. As the cataract darkens, it hardens. Sclerosis is a medical term for hardening.

Because nuclear sclerotic cataracts grow very slowly, several years might pass before you notice any changes to your vision. Distance vision is typically the first to fade. Close-up vision may improve temporarily, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as “second sight.” Eventually, the darkening of the lens will reduce your ability to distinguish details and colors.

Cortical cataracts create areas of clouding of the cortex, or outer layers, of the lens. The cloudy areas look like white spokes on a wheel. The spokes first appear at the edges of the lens
first appear at the edges of the lens under the iris and then extend into the center of the pupil. These white spokes scatter light.

Diabetes puts a person at especially high risk of this type of cataract. High blood sugar damages the lens over time, leading to the cortical spoking pattern of cloudiness.

The main symptoms are glare, which can make it hard to drive at night, and blurred vision. Glare may interfere with depth perception, making it hard for you to discern your distance from objects and people.

Posterior subcapsular cataracts form on the back surface (posterior) of the lens, just underneath the lens capsule, a clear membrane that surrounds the lens. This type of cataract causes halo effects and glare in bright sunlight or around lights in the dark. It grows worse much more quickly than the other cataract types—over a period of months rather than years. It may degrade vision drastically in some situations, but not in others. You’re more likely to have this type of cataract if you have diabetes or take steroid medicines.

Reviews

No reviews have been left for this newsletter. Log in and leave a review of your own.

You might also be interested in…

The Aging Eye: Preventing and treating eye disease

As the eyes age, problems with vision become more common. The Aging Eye: Preventing and treating eye disease explains how to recognize the risk factors and symptoms of specific eye diseases — cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy — and what steps you can take to prevent or treat them before your vision deteriorates.

Read More

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift.

The Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness, is yours absolutely FREE when you sign up to receive Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health, plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise, pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School

Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss...from exercises to build a stronger core to advice on treating cataracts. PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts.

BONUS! Sign up now and
get a FREE copy of the
Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of the Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness.