Once you hit 65 years old, you become part of a statistic:
More than half of all Americans over this age have cataracts.
So, with such a common ailment, you first need to understand what exactly cataracts are. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye that can impair vision. When there is a buildup of protein in the lens, the cloudiness occurs. This prevents light from passing clearly through the lens, hence the impaired vision.
There are several types of cataracts:
1) Age-related: results with aging
2) Congenital: Born with it as result of an infection, injury or poor development
3) Secondary: Developed as a result of other medical conditions such as diabetes or exposure to toxic substances, drugs, UV light or radiation
4) Traumatic: Developed after an injury to the eye
What are the symptoms? How will you know if you have cataracts?
- Cloudy vision
- Progressive nearsightedness in older people
- Changes in the way you see color
- Night driving becomes a problem from oncoming headlights
- Glares during the day
- Double vision
- Sudden changes in glasses prescription
So now that you know what the symptoms are, how can you get treated?
Well, if you can correct your vision with prescription glasses or bifocals, then that would be the way to go. However, if your vision cannot be corrected that way, you may be eligible to have cataract surgery. This is where your defected, or clouded, lens is replaced with a clear, artificial one.
Cataract surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis and is most often successful in restoring vision. Cataract surgery is actually the most performed surgery in the U.S. with more than 1.5 million surgeries every year.
Talk to your doctor to “see” what you’re missing. Because you might be missing quite a bit!
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