Handphone untuk mendeteksi Katarak

Buta permanen karena penyakit katarak bisa dicegah melalui deteksi dini terhadap gejala-gejalanya. Tidak selalu harus menggunakan alat canggih, kini gangguan pada selaput mata ini bisa juga dideteksi dengan handphone.

Teknologi terbaru ini dikembangkan oleh Massachusetts Institute Technologi (MIT) dan diharapkan bisa dipakai di masyarakat di daerah terpencil yang sulit mengakses fasilitas kesehatan. Bahkan karena pemakaiannya mudah, handphone tersebut tidak harus dioperasikan oleh dokter mata.

Pada dasarnya, teknologi ini bekerja sebagai radar, mirip alat yang dipakai untuk memantau kondisi awan dan cuaca. Radar dengan panjang gelombang tertentu dipancarkan dari sebuah alat ke permukaan mata untuk mendetekasi adanya lapisan berkabut yang disebut katarak.

"Kamera handphone akan memindai lensa mata, lalu membuat peta yang menunjukkan posisi, ukuran, bentuk dan kerapatan karatak," ungkap salah seorang peneliti yang terlibat dalam pengembangan, Citor Pamplona seperti dikutip dari Mobilhealthnews.

Tentunya tidak sembarang handphone bisa dipakai untuk mendeteksi katarak dengan teknologi ini. Agar bisa memancarkan radar, handphone harus dipasangi chip dan perangkat lunak yang didesain khusus untuk memonitor kondisi kelainan pada selaput mata.

Hasilnya akan ditampilkan di layar handphone, berupa skor yang berkisar antara 1-4. Skor 1 menunjukkan adanya pengkabutan yang menghalangi penglihatan dalam derajat yang paling ringan, sedangkan skor 4 menunjukkan tingkatan paling parah sehingga butuh penanganan lebih lanjut oleh dokter mata.

Untuk saat ini, teknologi yang diberi nama Caltra System tersebut belum bisa dibeli di toko-toko handphone karena memang belum diluncurkan secara resmi. Peluncurannya baru akan dilakukan dalam konferensi teknologi SIGGRAPH di Vancouver, British Columbia bulan depan.

Katarak merupakan penyebab kebutaan paling banyak di seluruh dunia, namun gejala awalnya masih sulit dideteksi khususnya di negara-negara miskin yang fasilitas kesehatannya kurang memadahi. Untuk menyembuhkannya, satu-satunya cara adalah lewat operasi.

Sumber: http://www.detikinet.com

Causes and Risk Factors for Cataracts

Causes and Risk Factors for Cataracts
Research scientists know how the lens clouds (see Age-Related Cataract Formation) and that certain things can increase a person's risk of developing cataracts. But researchers do not know what causes the lens to cloud. The search for these cataract causes is an active area of research.

Cataract research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop them. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.

Specific risk factors for this condition include:

Age (the risk increases as you get older)
Diabetes
Smoking
Long-term alcohol use
Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet sunlight
Lead exposure.

Types of Cataracts
Although most cataracts are related to aging, there are other types. Some of these other cataract types include:

Secondary
Traumatic
Congenital
Radiation.

The term "age-related" is a little misleading. You don't have to be a senior citizen to get this type of cataract. In fact, people can have an age-related cataract in their 40s and 50s. But during middle age, most are small and do not affect vision. It is after age 60 that most cataracts cause a decrease in vision.

Symptoms of Cataracts
There are several possible cataract symptoms. However, other eye problems can also cause these symptoms. Anyone with possible symptoms should see an eyecare professional. Only a qualified eyecare professional can diagnose and treat the problem.

Possible symptoms may include:

Blurred or cloudy vision
Lights seem very bright (glare)
Colors seem faded
Difficulty reading
Poor night vision
Double vision or multiple images in one eye (this may go away as the cataract gets larger)
Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.

What Are Cataracts?

What Are Cataracts?
A cataract is simply the clouding of the lens in the eye. When the lens becomes cloudy, the flow of light is distorted and the picture formed on your retina becomes dim or blurry.

Cataracts are common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. However, it cannot spread from one eye to the other.

In addition to the obvious problems of reduced vision, the visual disability associated with cataracts can have a significant impact on the risk of falls and fractures, your quality of life, and possibly even mortality.

Understanding the Lens
The lens lies behind the iris and the pupil. It works much like a camera lens. It focuses light onto the retina at the back of the eye, where an image is recorded. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting you see things clearly, both up close and far away.

The lens is made of mostly water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it.

In a normal eye, light passes through the transparent lens to the retina. Once it reaches the retina, light is changed into nerve signals that are sent to the brain. But as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract. Over time, the cataract may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.