What is the difference between nuclear sclerosis and cataracts?
What is the difference between nuclear sclerosis and cataracts?
What is the difference between nuclear sclerosis and cataracts?
The lens of an eye with cataracts or nuclear sclerosis appears cloudy. In ambient light, a sclerotic lens has an even, pearly opacity with a grayish-to-bluish tinge. Cataracts, on the other hand, appear like whitish chunks of crushed ice that vary in size, shape and opacity.
What causes nuclear sclerosis?
Nuclear sclerosis is caused by proteins in your lens that naturally break down over time. They clump together, in this case, causing hardening that impedes light from passing through the center of the lens to the retina.
What is the difference between nuclear sclerosis and cataracts in dogs?
When a dog has lenticular sclerosis, a vet can still see all the way back to the retina thorough the ophthalmoscope, even if things are a little bit fuzzy. On the other hand, a cataract will block the view of the retina, either completely or in part, depending on how big it is.
Is nuclear sclerosis painful?
As a dog ages, the old fibers in the lens become compacted, creating a cloudy appearance in the eye. This density is called lenticular or nuclear sclerosis. Lenticular sclerosis is a product of aging and usually begins to appear in middle-aged to senior dogs. The condition is painless and does not lead to blindness.
Can nuclear sclerosis be cured?
The condition is differentiated from a cataract by its appearance and by shining a penlight into the eye. With nuclear sclerosis, a reflection from the tapetum will be seen, while a cataract will block reflection. There is no treatment for this condition currently.
Is nuclear sclerosis bad?
If the nuclear sclerosis is severe enough, it’s called a nuclear cataract. The proteins in the lens start to clump, scattering light instead of allowing it to pass through. Cataracts cause about half of all blindness in the world, and nuclear cataracts are the most common type.
Do humans get nuclear sclerosis?
Nuclear sclerosis is very common in humans. It can also occur in dogs, cats, and horses. It usually develops in older people . These changes are part of the aging process of the eye.
Can dogs see with nuclear sclerosis?
Lenticular sclerosis or nuclear sclerosis is the medical term for a bluish transparent haze that develops in the lens of the eye in middle-aged to senior dogs. “Vision does not appear to be significantly affected in dogs diagnosed with lenticular sclerosis.”
What is the treatment for nuclear sclerosis?
Age-related changes like nuclear sclerosis don’t require drugs or surgery. The lens hardening can impair near vision, but this can be corrected with reading glasses. If the hardening of the lens progresses to cataracts, replacing the lenses through surgery is generally safe and reverses vision loss.
Does nuclear sclerosis go away?
Treating this condition Age-related nuclear sclerosis doesn’t require surgery, just a good pair of reading glasses. If the hardening and cloudiness turns into nuclear cataracts, your vision and condition will slowly worsen over time. But it may be years before you need to have the lenses replaced.