Your Eye Health: Common Risk Factors And Symptoms Of Cataracts
Posted on: 2 March 2015
Over half of the senior citizens in the U.S. develop a cataract by the time they are 80. However, the condition also affects younger people, even children. Since there are many successful treatments for cataracts, you should not wait until your eyes begin to suffer severe symptoms before seeking medical attention for cataract-impaired vision. Instead of being passive about your eye health, you should educate yourself on the symptoms and risk factors of cataracts.
Changes in Vision
When your eye lens becomes clouded and thickens, preventing light from passing through to reach your retina, you have a cataract. At first, the opaque area of the lens may be limited to small area of the lens. As time passes, it is possible for the cataract to spread over the entire lens making vision out of the affected eye blurry.
As soon as you notice that your vision is dull, you should schedule an exam with an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor that specializes in eye diseases. Your optometrist may be able to refer you to a reputable ophthalmologist that performs routine cataract surgery.
Light Sensitivity and Color Issues
If you begin to notice that normal lighting seems too bright or feels like it has a glare, make an appointment to talk to an eye doctor about your increased sensitivity to light. This hypersensitivity may also be accompanied by an inability to distinguish colors. While you may not go completely color blind, bright hues might seem faded and hard to distinguish if you are suffering from cataracts.
Some people attempt to relieve these symptoms by wearing anti-glare glasses or sunglasses to block bright light. However, as cataracts worsen these stopgap measures will cease to be effective.
Eye Injuries
Athletes that suffer eye injuries, and anyone who experiences serious electric shock, are at risk for developing cataracts, even years after a traumatic incident. In some cases, the cataract may remain small and never seriously impede your vision. However, cataracts from traumatic injuries can also progress at a rapid pace and require treatment
Common Risk Factors
While cataracts can develop out of the blue, even if you have enjoyed perfect eyesight all your life, you can increase your risk of developing the condition if you engage in certain unhealthy behaviors.
If you smoke, drink alcohol in excess, take steroids, use diuretics frequently or spend a lot of time in the sunlight, you are at risk for cataracts. Some types of medications, including tranquilizers, also affect cataract development.
In addition, cataracts are among the major eye problems that affect people who suffer from diabetes. If you suffer from diabetes, it is crucial to follow your doctor's orders for getting regular eye exams so you cataracts can be detected early.
Age-related Risks
As you age, the structure of your eye lens changes. While experts are not exactly sure why cataracts develop, senior citizens are disproportionately affected by the condition. Cataract surgery for seniors is common and is an effective and safe way of handling the condition. In fact, you can undergo the procedure as an outpatient.
During surgery, an ophthalmologist makes an incision on the side of the cornea to remove the cataract-affected lens via suction. The diseased lens is replaced with an artificial lens. The artificial lens becomes a permanent part of the eye and requires no long-term care. After surgery, patients do not see or feel the artificial lens.
While the overwhelming majority of those with cataracts are over 40, some babies are born with the condition. Untreated congenital cataracts can severely affect your child's vision and possibly cause blindness. In addition, cataracts in infants may be accompanied by other conditions such as deafness, heart disease and kidney disease.
Doctors diagnose congenital cataracts at birth and will determine if the condition is significant enough to warrant surgery.
Click here for more information about cataract treatment.
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