You take the time to worry about your heart and your lungs, so why wouldn't you think about your eye health? If you are like most people, it might be because you don't know that much about how to take care of your eyes. Fortunately, I have been working with other people to teach them about eye health for the past twenty years. My father lost his eyesight because of a few bad decisions, and I don't want to see other people go down that path. Read here to learn why you should exercise, eat right, and see your eye doctor regularly.
Improving Your Eye Health
Learn How Cataracts Affect Your Eyes And How They're Treated
James Castro
If your vision seems to be getting blurry even though you've had perfect eyesight all your life, it could be due to cataracts. One reason it's important to have regular eye exams even when you don't wear glasses is so conditions such as cataracts can be diagnosed and treated. Blurry vision could have other causes too, so having your eyes examined is important for good eye health. Here is some information about cataracts and how they are treated.
What Are Cataracts?
Cataracts are a common condition that causes changes to the lens in your eye. You usually get cataracts in both eyes, but it's possible that only one eye is affected. It's also possible the clouding is worse in one eye than the other. The lens of your eye focuses light on your retina so you can see images around you. The lens is usually clear, but cataracts cause changes that make the lens become cloudy and the result is blurry vision.
What Causes Cataracts?
Cataracts are caused by a number of things. Certain medications and medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes can cause cataracts to develop. Lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking alcohol can contribute to their formation. An eye injury might lead to cataracts, and some cases are congenital or form in childhood. A common cause of cataracts is aging. They tend to develop gradually with age and exposure to the sun. Aging might be responsible for changes to the protein structure in cataracts that causes the lenses of your eyes to get cloudy. Cataracts might begin to develop in midlife but not show symptoms until the retirement years. Then, you may begin to have problems with glare around lights and difficulty reading whether you normally wear glasses or not.
How Are Cataracts Treated?
Surgery is the only way to remove cataracts. However, just because you have cataracts, it doesn't mean you have to have them surgically removed right away. You might find you can live with cataracts and avoid surgery. Cataracts progress at different rates for people. If yours develop slowly, you may never need to have them removed. When they get to the point where they interfere with your enjoyment of life or your safety, then surgery should be considered. Cataract surgery is done on one eye at a time and it's a routine procedure. The eye doctor removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial one that is clear so your vision is improved.
If you haven't been to your optometrist for years, you should consider having an eye exam that tests for cataracts. If you're having blurry vision, don't put off having your eyes examined and treated so you can see better and be safer. Contact a clinic, like Idaho Eye and Laser center, for more help.
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