June is Cataract Awareness Month

Have you ever heard of the word cataract and wondered what exactly a cataract was?? Well, a cataract is the clouding of the lens inside the eye.  The lens is a very important structure inside the eye that focuses images onto the retina.  If the lens is cloudy, the image focused will also be cloudy.  Imagine driving around with a muddy car windshield, the outside is hard to see until you wash off the mud, right?  Well, same concept with a cataract, but a cataract cannot simply be "washed off."

Causes of Cataracts

While cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world, no one knows for sure why the eye's lens becomes cloudy as we age, forming cataracts.  But researchers have identified many factors that may be associated with cataract formation.  Besides getting older, cataract risk factors include:

Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and other sources

Diabetes

Hypertension

Obesity

Smoking

Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications

Statin medicines used to reduce cholesterol

Previous eye injury or inflammation

Previous eye surgery

Hormone replacement therapy

Significant alcohol consumption

High myopia

Family history

Vision complaints associated with Cataracts

Sensitivity to glare

Double vision

Cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, or filmy vision

Loss of color intensity 

Difficulty seeing at night or in dim light 

Seeing halo around lights

Problems seeing shapes against a background of the difference between shades of colors

Frequent changing of glasses prescriptions, or seeing better without glasses 

Cataract Prevention

One easy way to prevent cataracts is to wear a pair of  100% UV-absorbent sunglasses.  Sorry guys, Wal-Mart cheapies will not protect the eyes enough.  Other preventable measures to take against cataracts include quitting smoking and consuming alcohol in moderations as both activities increase your chances of cataract formation.

While it is possible to reduce your risk of developing cataracts, they are not 100% preventable. There are many different factors that can contribute to the development of cataracts including family history, medications, and age. A comprehensive eye exam can diagnose cataracts and help you and your doctor here at Better Vision Optometric Center, PA  determine an effective plan for treatment.

Treatment of Cataracts

Cataracts can be removed by an extraction procedure.  The procedure is easy and recovery is fast.  The surgeon removes the old lens that has become cloudy through a small incision in the front of the eye.  After the lens is removed, it is replaced with a synthetic lens.  The coolest part of the procedure is that the replacement lens has your prescription in it, and majority of patients will no longer have to wear glasses to see distance.

Call today for an appointment.
Owen Drive        910-323-3698
Ramsey Street    910-488-0211