EP #14: Through the Lens: Exploring the types of Cataracts

Ever wondered what's really behind the term 'cataracts'? It's a word we've often heard, especially in connection with aging, but do we fully grasp what it means? Well, buckle up because that's exactly what you're about to find out! Join us alongside our host, Dr. Thuy Nguyen, as we wade through the fog and tackle the complexities of this common yet baffling condition. Using a relatable camera lens analogy, Dr. Nguyen simplifies the intricacies of our eye function and how cataracts dramatically alter this process.

In the course of our conversation, we uncover the three primary types of cataracts—nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular—each with their own unique characteristics and vision effects. From explaining why colors may appear less vibrant to certain individuals, to discussing the impact on night driving and the reasoning behind changes in eyeglass prescriptions, we leave no question unanswered. Discover how these types of cataracts can drastically alter light reception in the eyes, causing glaring, halos, and light distortions. With Dr. Nguyen's vivid descriptions and accessible explanations, we guarantee a wealth of knowledge and a deeper understanding of this prevalent eye condition. So, are you ready to get enlightened? Let's jump right in!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Jazzy Eyes podcast.
Taking care of your vision withexpert precision.
Here's your host, dr TweenNeuen.

Jeremy (00:14):
Hello, hello everyone, welcome back to the Jazzy Eyes
podcast.
I'm your co-host, Jeremy Wolfe.
I'm joined by your host, drTween Neuen.
Dr Neuen, always a pleasure,good to see you again.
Yes, happy Monday, cyber Monday, time to start my English.

(00:35):
So, yes, yes, yes.
So we were just talking, drFalco and I, about cataracts and
I learned it awful lot because,like many other folks out there
, they've heard the termcataracts but probably can't
define it or have the foggiestidea of what it is.
So it was very insightful atsharing what that is and various

(01:00):
symptoms associated and thingslike that.
So I know you wanted to talk alittle bit more about the
various types of cataracts.

Dr. Nguyen (01:08):
So, please, yes, so just, I like to use the camera
lens analogy when I talk aboutcataracts, saying, how you know,
in the camera there's a lens.
That lens is clear In our eyes.
There's also a lens that helpsus focus.
However, when we age, itdoesn't stay clear forever.
There could be defects thatcould be discolored after some

(01:30):
time, and so what I wanted totalk about is age-related
cataracts here, where you'veprobably heard a friend say, oh,
my grandmother or mygrandfather had cataracts, and
this is one of the types thatthey're talking about.
There's generally three bigtypes of cataracts.
One of them, to start, isnuclear cataracts, where, let's

(01:51):
say, we're talking about thatcamera lens.
What's clear?
As we get older, that cameralens gets cloudy, gets foggy and
it gets discolored more towardslike the yellow tint.
And people who have nuclearcataracts they say, oh, you know
, colors aren't as vibrant asthey used to be anymore because
you're looking through a yellowfilter.

Jeremy (02:11):
Why do they call it nuclear cataracts?

Dr. Nguyen (02:14):
Because the structure in the lens, the very
center of that structure of thelens, is called the nucleus,
which is in the middle andthat's where nuclear cataracts
happens first.
It starts yellow in the middle.
Yes, nuclear cataracts.
It also makes people contrastwhen they're driving at night.
It's not as defined as it usedto be anymore because it's

(02:35):
cloudy now, so the contrast thatnight is not as good.
And people with nuclearcataracts, they start to notice
that their prescription in theirglass this is changing.
They start to become morenear-sighted.
They can't see as far anymore.
With the nuclear cataracts,another type is called cortical
cataracts.
The cortical cataracts againwith the camera lens analogy,

(02:57):
the lens.
Imagine that there are nowcracks in the lens and it starts
from the periphery and there'sradio cracks.
That goes towards the middle,kind of like since it's the
season now, if you can imaginelike a peppermint wheel, like
the red spokes from the outsidegoing towards the center.
That's kind of what corticalcataracts look like.
And because of the cracks,sometimes when the lens enters

(03:18):
the eyes, the light enters theeyes, the light gets scattered
and so you'll notice withcortical cataracts the people
get glares and halos or likelight distortions, and more
noticeable when they're drivingat night.
So, again, night driving isaffected with cortical cataracts
, and people can be more lightsensitive because of all this
glare and halo that they'reexperiencing at night.

(03:40):
Especially now with the newermodels of cars, I feel like the
headlights are so, so bright.
And then the last category ofcataracts is called posterior
subcapsular cataracts, whereposterior subcapsular cataracts.
Yeah, Subcapsular.

Jeremy (04:01):
Can we just call it PSC?

Dr. Nguyen (04:04):
Yes, that's what it stands for.

Jeremy (04:07):
It's a mouthful.

Dr. Nguyen (04:09):
It is, and so the lens in our eye actually sits
inside of a bag.
It's not just a free-forminglens.
It's like if you take thatcamera lens and you wrap it in
saran wrap.
The saran wrap is the capsuleof the lens.

Jeremy (04:22):
So fascinating, I'm sorry.
I mean the human body isfascinating, obviously, but the
eye is extra fascinating.

Dr. Nguyen (04:31):
I'm always intrigued by the human eye and how it
evolved to what it is.

Jeremy (04:35):
Yeah.

Dr. Nguyen (04:36):
Yeah, so the self-capsular cataract is like
if you have like a defect onthat saran wrap.
Where it's now, it kind oflooks like frosted cracked ice
and it starts in the middle ofthe cataract.
It starts in the middle of thelens and you can imagine when
we're reading, people areaffected by that type of
cataract more, because when youread, your pupils constrict and

(04:58):
so all you're looking through isthat opacity, rather than when
you're looking far away and yourpupils are a little bit more
dilated and you can look likethe, the, the, the rim of the
pupils is looking through clearlens instead of the opacity in
the middle.
And so for posteriorsubcapsular cataracts, people
complain that oh, my readingisn't as good as it used to be,

(05:19):
even if they have cheaters orreaders on, and those are
actually the cataracts like growthe fastest.

Jeremy (05:26):
So I got to think that, first of all, for cataracts, is
there a genetic component tothis, or is this simply a result
of aging and what are somethings that I can imagine?
Like anything else, if you takecare of yourself properly
throughout your life and you dothings that ultimately decrease

(05:47):
the chances of this kind ofthing, I got to think that
that's a good way to preventgetting cataracts.
Or is it just something thatresults in some people due to
the normal aging process?

Dr. Nguyen (05:58):
So the most typical, almost common type of cataract
is really age related.
So, as long as you're aging,everyone.
There are certain things thatmight have us have early onset
cataracts, but most people arenot.
There are certain things thatmight have us have early onset
cataracts, but most of the timesage related.

(06:19):
Everyone get cataracts.
Not everyone will have surgery,but everyone will eventually
get cataracts.
In terms of prevention, becausewe live in Florida, I feel like
the UV light affects everythingand that's actually one of the
things that can cause cataractsis the UV lights can cause, you
know, damage the structure ofthe lens and that can cause the
cataracts.
So, living in Florida, I feellike wearing sunglasses is a

(06:45):
must to block out that UV andprevent the cataracts or make it
not grow as much every year.

Jeremy (06:54):
So I want to get into more about the causes of
cataracts.
Let's do that in anothersegment.
So let's wrap this up and thenpick that up in a following
segment.
So always a pleasure.
I'll see you shortly and thankslisteners for tuning in and we
will see you in the next episode.

Speaker 1 (07:19):
Thank you for listening to the Jazzy Eyes
podcast.
For more information, visitJazzyEyescom or contact
954-473-010-1.