June is Cataract Awareness Month. This is a time to raise cataract awareness and help to educate people about one of the leading causes of treatable vision loss in the United States. There are 24 million Americans over the age of 40 who are affected by cataracts, so it seems fitting that an entire month should be dedicated to cataract education and awareness.
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens, which blocks or changes the passage of light into the eye. The lens of the eye is located behind the pupil and the colored iris, and is normally transparent. Vision may become blurry or dim because the cataract stops light from properly passing through to the retina. Generally, a cataract does not cause pain, redness or tearing, but does cause increasing difficulty in seeing clearly.
Here is an overview of Cataracts:
Cataract symptoms:
- Cloudy
- Night vision
- Glare
- Halo
- New glasses
- Yellow tint
- Double vision
Some Risk factors for cataracts include:
- Older age
- Intense heat or long-term exposure to UV rays from the sun
- Certain diseases, such as diabetes
- Inflammation in the eye
- Hereditary influences
- Long-term steroid use
- Eye injuries
- Eye diseases
- Smoking
Cataracts can be easily diagnosed and visiting your eye doctor regularly is important in helping protect your eyes from further damage. An annual eye exam is recommended for everyone over the age of 60, and bi-annual exams for adults between 41-60 years to check for developing eye or vision problems.
There are a few treatment options, below is one of the newest options:
There is no proven way to prevent age-related cataracts. However, choosing a healthy lifestyle can slow the progression of cataracts. Some ways to delay the progression of cataracts include avoiding smoking, reducing exposure to UV rays, eating healthy foods, and wearing proper eye protection to avoid eye injury.
For more information and where you can find support for Cataracts click here .