Most people are unaware that there are many different types of cataracts.  Typically we start seeing these develop in the fifth decade. Everyone gets cataracts! They may not get to the point where they need surgery as some progress more slowly than others, but cataracts are unavoidable unfortunately.  The videos below will explain the various types and the way they affect your eyes. Many patients have a combined cataract, meaning more than one type is involved. The three most common types are listed below. 

• Nuclear Sclerosis: This is the most common type of cataract, and involves a color change of the center of the lens.  It changes from a pale yellow, to orange to a dark brown.  As this cataract darkens, vision will become more cloudy and color vision will become more affected. Nuclear sclerosis is usually slow-changing. 
• Cortical Spokes:  This type of cataract usually begins in the periphery or outside part of the lens with small spoke-like opacities. As these spokes progress into the center of the line of sight, vision will worsen. 
• Posterior Subcapsular: This type of cataract can cause more significant vision loss early on because it typically starts in the center of the lens, right in your line of sight.  A small dark area will appear in the middle of the lens and eventually spread outward filling the entire diameter of the lens.