Cataracts [View all]

I had an eye exam at the VA a week after my hearing test; in all of my 60+ years, this has been the best eye exam evah. A little background: I've been night blind for over a year and everything appears to be milky gray. My vision has deteriorated to the point that have trouble reading the internets, books, etc.

The eye clinic at the Jamaica Plain VA has brand new equipment in all their exam rooms as well as a trained staff that knows how to use this stuff. A young doctor (they're all young at my age) ran me thru the paces. The last thing she did was to give me a cataract test; dialate my eyes and put a drop of yellow dye in each eye.

After she finished the exam she told me I had cataracts and they were asymmetrical. The one in my left eye has covered most of the cornea whereas the one in my right eye is symmetrical. She informed me that the VA wound schedule a six month visit to the Cataract Clinic and then she needed to check with her Attending.

Both of them came back into the room in a few minutes talking doctor talk. The upshot of that conversation was the VA would schedule a visit the Cataract Clinic in two months. I was originally scheduled for a 5/12 exam but the VA gave me a call yesterday and said my appointment is now on 5/8.

Getting old ain't for sissies.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the lens inside the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. It is the most common cause of blindness and is conventionally treated with surgery. Visual loss occurs because opacification of the lens obstructs light from passing and being focused on to the retina at the back of the eye.[1]

It is most commonly due to biological aging, but there are a wide variety of other causes. Over time, yellow-brown pigment is deposited within the lens and this, together with disruption of the normal architecture of the lens fibers, leads to reduced transmission of light, which in turn leads to visual problems.

Those with cataracts commonly experience difficulty in appreciating colors (yup) and changes in contrast (yup), driving (yup), reading (yup), recognizing faces (not yet), and coping with glare from bright lights (oh yea).[2]