El crystalline it is the natural lens of the eye, a transparent structure that lies behind the pupil and that with the passage of time it ages, loses elasticity and becomes dull. Phacosclerosis or lens sclerosis is one of the pathologies that can affect this lens of the eye and is mainly associated with age. 

Phacosclerosis is part of the natural aging process of the lens that occurs progressively and causes a slight loss of transparency, but does not become a cataract advanced

Is there a treatment for lens sclerosis? Find out below at Área Oftalmológica Avanzada.

What is phacosclerosis?

The lens is the natural and transparent lens that makes it possible for the eye to see clearly. images projected onto the retina. Like the rest of the human body, the lens ages over the years and loses its power of accommodation and transparency.

The aging of the lens and, therefore, its dysfunction is the main cause of its opacity, a condition that causes blurred vision y tired eyesight.

Ocular phacosclerosis is a condition caused by the onset of aging of the lens that causes it to slightly lose its transparency. If the sclerosis of the lens were to be combined with Cataracts, there is a high risk that the person lose vision due to cataract.

Although phacosclerosis of the eye is a problem that can affect vision, it is a condition that does not represent any major risk to eye health, since cataracts can be corrected with surgical treatment.

This condition usually affects adults between 40 and 50 years of age regardless of sex. 

Symptoms of lens sclerosis

Sclerosis of the lens is a condition that develops progressively over the yearsFor this reason, it may not cause any symptoms in its initial phase.

As the opacity of the lens increases, the person with phacosclerosis in the eye may experience the following symptoms:

• Blurred vision due to cataracts, the person may feel that they are looking through dirty or opaque glass.
• The lights may appear excessively bright or dazzling. 
• When driving at night, the lights of other cars disturb or dazzle the vision. 
• Colors look less bright.
• Depending on the degree of opacity of the lens, it may occur double vision.

Causes that cause the lens to harden

The lens focuses light just like a reflex camera does. First direct the light towards the retina to provide a clear view, then adjust the focus to see correctly at any distance. 

The entire lens focusing process is possible thanks to the proteins and water that are precisely arranged within this eye lens.

Over the years, however, these proteins begin to accumulate irregularly and cloud part of the lens of the eye.

Consequently, the lens loses its transparency and causes blurred vision. Likewise, aging decreases the elasticity of the lens, directly affecting its power of accommodation. 

Therefore we can say that the main cause of lens sclerosis It is the natural aging of the human body.

Sooner or later we all suffer from phacosclerosis at some point in our lives, however, this does not mean that all people will suffer from phacosclerosis at the same age. There are different factors that can accelerate the development of this condition, let's know what they are: 

• Diabetes.
• Exposure to ultraviolet rays.
• Smoking.
• Hypertension.
• Obesity.
• Corticosteroid medication for a long time.
• background of eye inflammation.
• History of eye surgery.
• Significant alcohol consumption.
• Hormone replacement therapy.

Recommended treatment

When the symptoms of ocular phacosclerosis appear, blurred vision can be improved through the use of glasses and contact lenses to correct vision. However, as the years go by, the opacity of the lens will increase and the vision will deteriorate further. In those cases, it is worth considering surgical treatment.

La cataract surgery for lens sclerosis, it is considered an option when the person's quality of life is compromised and they have difficulty or impossibility to perform daily tasks such as driving.

In these cases, it is best to thoroughly evaluate the eyeball so that the ophthalmologist can determine whether or not the patient is a candidate for lens surgery.

Phacosclerosis in sight can be corrected definitively by replacing the lens with a intraocular lens, which will help restore clear vision at all distances. The procedure is quite simple and effective, and is performed on an outpatient basis under the effects of local anesthesia applied in drops. 

During surgery to treat lens sclerosis, other vision defects such as myopia or the presbyopia, as long as the patient and the surgeon consider it appropriate.

En Área Oftalmológica Avanzada We have the best human and technological team for eye surgeries. Contact us as soon as possible and schedule an appointment with our specialists. We will wait for you!