Your eyes are one of the most important parts of your body. They help you to interact with the rest of the world in meaningful ways and play a major role in what you do every day. As such, it is important to be aware of different conditions and disorders that affect the eyes like cataracts. Get to know more about the important cataract facts as well as how they are treated. Then, you can take care of your eye health as well as possible going forward.
What Are Cataracts?
Cataracts can be defined as the clouding of the lenses of your eyes. The clouding can occur anywhere on the lens and can spread to cover the entire lens. Some people are born with cloudy lenses (congenital cataracts). However, for most people that have cataracts, they develop over time and are most common in people over the age of 50.
What Are the Symptoms of Cataracts?
There are many symptoms of cataracts to be aware of. The first and most prevalent is cloudy vision, of course. It can feel as if you are looking through glass that is frosted over or through a haze of sorts. This can make nighttime vision especially problematic as the fogginess combined with low lighting can reduce visibility greatly.
Sometimes, a person will report their vision seeming dim as though the lights aren't on even during the daytime. Colors may also become more difficult to distinguish and may fade. A person might also report seeing halos around objects (particularly lights) or might simply find themselves having to change their corrective lens prescriptions quite often.
How Are Cataracts Diagnosed?
Cataracts are diagnosed in a basic eye exam. The doctor will look at the lens of the eye and be able to quickly tell whether the lens is clear or cloudy. The eye testing for cataracts is completely painless.
What Can Be Done About Cataracts?
If your cataracts are in the early stages, treatment may include eye drops and lifestyle changes to try to slow their progress. These lifestyle changes can include wearing sunglasses out in the sun, eating foods rich in vitamins A and K to support eye health, and the like.
However, the only way to get rid of cataracts completely is through cataract surgery. Cataract surgery involves removing the lens of the eye entirely and replacing it with an artificial lens. This surgery is done as an outpatient procedure and generally only lasts thirty minutes to an hour.
Now that you know more of the important facts about cataracts, you can schedule your next eye exam and get the eye care you need going forward. For more information, contact a medical office like Olympia Eye Clinic, Inc., P.S.
Share21 April 2018
I've been wearing glasses since I was 10 and contact lenses since I was 16. Because of this, I've always been very conscious of eye health and its importance. I decided to make my first blog about everything I've learned relating to vision and optical goods. The first thing I want to do is debunk a myth about contact lenses that can truly harm your eyes: Many people think that is okay to wear a pair of disposable contact lenses for much longer than the eye doctor recommends. It is very important to toss out your disposable contacts on the recommended schedule, or you put yourself at risk of serious eye infections. Hopefully you can learn some things that will help you see better.
