As our bodies grow and change over time, we start finding and feeling those creaks, cracks, and gray hairs. On top of all the things we can feel changing, we need to be aware of the changes that could be happening inside of our eyes.
Hello everyone! It looks like many things are starting to head back to normal. We are very excited about that! We will still be following all safety protocols to help keep our staff and patients safe and healthy. We have enjoyed talking about our youngest patients over the last few blogs, but we are going to shift our focus to our adult patients. In our office, we welcome patients of all ages. We are dedicated to helping them on their eye care journey. Over the next three blogs, we are going to talk about common eye conditions found in adults, and how you can begin preventing them now.
The eyes are such delicate organs, and how they change and evolve is as unique as you are. As our bodies change, we start to focus on keeping it in as good health as possible. There are many changes that can happen in our bodies that we can’t see or feel until these issues have progressed. Many conditions can be prevented and cared for if detected and caught early on. To stay on top of your optic health, don’t ignore any symptoms and report them to your doctor right away. Today, we are going to begin our blog series with cataracts.
- CATARACTS
A cataract is caused by injury to the eye or aging. They change the actual makeup of your eye’s lens. The lens lives right behind the colored part of your eye (or, the iris!) and it focuses the light that passes through your eye and creates the sharp images that you see. Over time, your lenses are no longer as flexible as they used to be. The lenses become more transparent, and they begin to grow thicker. Age, certain medical conditions, and injury can cause the tissue inside of your eye’s lens to break down. This broken-down tissue clumps together and causes a clouding effect in the lens. These clumps will continue to grow over time, blocking the light that comes into your eyes, making your vision very blurry. Thankfully, cataracts are known to grow very slowly. Cataracts can lead to blindness if they are not taken care of. Glasses can help in the beginning stages of cataracts, along with the use of brighter lights in your daily activity. Surgery is a very safe option to help correct the issue.
- SYMPTOMS
If your vision ever changes drastically and without any warning, contact us right away. If the symptoms are linked to cataracts or not, you still need to get the situation checked out. You could be helping prevent a multitude of other issues. Some symptoms you could experience in the beginning stages of cataracts are:
- Double vision in one of your eyes
- The fading of colors in your vision, or yellowing to them
- The need to change your glasses or contact prescription often
- You begin to see halos around lights
- You need brighter light to read and do everyday tasks
- Your eyes have a new sensitivity to light
- You begin having excessive difficulty seeing at night
- Your vision is constantly blurred or clouded
There are a handful of things you can begin doing now to help prevent cataracts. We recommend that everyone follow these preventative steps to keep you and your eyes as healthy as possible.
- PREVENTATIVE STEPS
- Visit us regularly. Even if you’ve always had healthy eyes and you’ve never needed glasses or contacts, continue to get regular checkups.
- If your health allows it, try and avoid taking oral steroids for long periods. Discuss this with your physician and try and find other options.
- Maintain your blood sugar as best you can. Take the healthy steps to avoid developing diabetes. If you already have diabetes, do you best to keep it under control. It is more likely for you to develop cataracts if you have diabetes.
- Limit your alcohol consumption.
- Limit your smoking habit, or never start in the first place.
- Protect your eyes from the sun, and always wear sunglasses.
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise regularly!
These tips are geared towards keeping your eyes healthy and to prevent cataracts. They are also wonderful tips to implement into your daily life, period! Helping with the prevention of cataracts can help your health from head to toe. If you’re concerned that you might be developing cataracts, contact us right away. As always, we are here to keep your eyes healthy and happy. Until next time, stay safe and be well!
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Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
I appreciated when you mentioned cataract is a condition where your eyes tissues have damaged and clumped together and cause a clouding effect in your lens area. It is quite common among older people and surgery is usually performed in order to get them removed from your eyes. I would like to think if someone has this condition, he should consider getting ocular steroids that can help with the treatment of postoperative inflammation.
Thanks for explaining that seeing halos around lights can be an early warning sign of cataracts. My mom mentioned she occasionally sees halos around lights when driving at night. I’m glad I read your article so I can help her discuss her symptoms with a cataract surgeon soon for peace of mind.
Nowadays cataract is widely spread disease all around the globe. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble with bright lights, and trouble seeing at night. We’ve learnt a lot about this disease from your post, Thanks for sharing.
It was really interesting to me when you explained that cataracts are causing by aging and injury. Is genetic history also something that can affect whether you are going to get cataracts or not? It seems like you would be more susceptible to get cataracts if you have had a lot of family members deal with it in the past.
Thanks for explaining how the lens of the eye can be changed by a cataract because it was an injury in the tissue of the lens. My cousin has been having a lot of problems with his eye, and he would really like to get rid of his pain. He would really like to get some help from a professional to treat, and get rid of it properly.
My cousin has been having a lot of pain in his eyes for the last two weeks. He would really like to go see a professional in order to see what is wrong. I liked what you said about how he could have an injury on his eye, and change the makeup of the lens.
It’s great that you talked about how a cataract is a consequence of aging. In my opinion, it’s important to visit an eye doctor constantly to check your vision. I believe our eyesight is something we should care more about, and it’s better to prevent a major issue. Thanks for the information about cataracts and how they impact our health.
I’m glad you talked about the importance of healthy habits to help prevent cataracts. Recently, my wife and I started to change our lifestyle. We want to live long and healthy lives with no complications, so we’ll be sure to follow your tips. Thanks for your advice on eye care and how to avoid future vision complications.
Symptoms of cataracts and tips to prevent cataracts are useful for the people facing these problems