A cataract is a clouding of the lens in your eye. It affects your vision. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all people in the United States either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.
Common symptoms are
- Blurry vision
- Colors that seem faded
- Glare
- Not being able to see well at night
- Double vision
- Frequent prescription changes in your eye wear
NIH: National Eye Institute
Cataract Symptoms
Having cataracts is often compared to looking through a foggy windshield of a car or through the dirty lens of a camera. Cataracts may cause a variety of complaints and visual changes, including blurred vision, difficulty with glare (often with bright sun or automobile headlights while driving at night), dulled color vision, increased nearsightedness accompanied by frequent changes in eyeglass prescription, and occasionally double vision in one eye. Some people notice a phenomenon called "second sight" in which one's reading vision improves as a result of their increased nearsightedness from swelling of the cataract. A change in glasses may help initially once vision begins to change from cataracts; however, as cataracts continue to progress and opacify, vision becomes cloudy and stronger glasses or contact lenses will no longer improve sight.
Cataracts are usually gradual and usually not painful or associated with any eye redness or other symptoms unless they become extremely advanced. Rapid and/or painful changes in vision are suspicious for other eye diseases and should be evaluated by an eye-care professional.
Cataract Exams and Tests
To detect a cataract, the eye-care provider examines your lens. A comprehensive eye examination usually includes the following:
- Visual acuity test: An eye chart test is used to measure your reading and distance vision.
- Refraction: Your eye doctor should determine if glasses would improve your vision.
- Glare testing: Vision may be significantly altered in certain lighting conditions and normal in others; in these circumstances, your doctor may check your glare symptoms with a variety of different potential lighting sources.
- Potential acuity testing: This helps the ophthalmologist get an idea of what your vision would be like after removal of the cataract. Think of this as the eye's vision potential if the cataract was not present.
- Contrast sensitivity testing: This checks for your ability to differentiate different shades of gray, which is often this limited by cataracts.
- Tonometry: a standard test to measure fluid pressure inside the eye (Increased pressure may be a sign of glaucoma.)
- Pupil dilation: The pupil is enlarged with eye drops so that the ophthalmologist can further examine the lens and retina. This is important to determine if there are other conditions which may ultimately limit your vision besides cataracts.
Nursing Care Plan for Cataract
Data Analysis
1. Objective data: patient's eye's lens appears cloudy. Both pupils appear to look gray.
Subjective data: patients complaining blurred vision / dim and decreased visual acuity and glare, the patient is difficult to see at night.
Changes in sensory reception or sense organ of vision status.
Impaired sensory perception (visual)
2. Objective data: patient looks anxious.
Subjective data: the patient says with a nervous illness.
Changes in health status.
Anxiety
3. Objective data: -
Subjective data: patient revealed not know much about the illness.
Not familiar with information sources
Lack of knowledge.
4. Objective data: patients seem to lack confidence
Subjective data: the patient says embarrassed by the disease
Impaired self-image
Low self esteem
1. Impaired sensory perception (visual) related to Changes in sensory reception or sense organ of vision status.
2. Anxiety related to changes in health status.
3. Lack of knowledge related to Not familiar with the sources of information.
4. Low self esteem, related to, Impaired self-image
Nursing Diagnosis for Cataract
2. Anxiety related to changes in health status.
3. Lack of knowledge related to Not familiar with the sources of information.
4. Low self esteem, related to, Impaired self-image
