Cataracts are a common part of aging. As a matter of fact, by age 80, more than half of all people in North America have had a cataract. But what are cataracts, how do they affect your vision, and how can Child & Family Eye Care help?
What Are Cataracts and What Are The Symptoms?
Cataracts are a clouding of the eye’s natural lens due to protein buildup in the eye. The most common complaint that our The Woodlands, Magnolia and Shenandoah eye care teams get from patients is that their vision seems cloudy or blurry. This can affect their ability to read books, watch TV, or properly see road signs while driving. Night driving can also be severely affected, as cataracts can boost glare and the appearance of halos around headlights, making it hard to see the road ahead.
How Are Cataracts Treated?
In the case of cataracts, symptoms won’t improve with glasses or other vision aids. The only current treatment for cataracts is surgery to remove the clouded lens and replace it with a new, clear artificial lens. Fortunately, lens technology continues to evolve, and many people who have surgery for cataracts can see better after their surgery than they did even before they had cataracts.
Don’t Wait To Get Your Cataracts Taken Care Of!
If you suspect you may have cataracts, we recommend that you schedule an eye exam as soon as possible. Cataracts often get worse over time, growing thicker and making your vision increasingly blurry. The worse a cataract gets, the harder it is to remove successfully, and the more complicated the surgery will be.
To learn more about what cataracts are and how they can be treated, visit our The Woodlands, Magnolia and Shenandoah eye doctors at Child & Family Eye Care today!
Q&A
Can cataracts cause blindness?
Yes. Cataracts are the leading cause of reversible blindness in North America. Cataracts most often affect people aged 60 and older, but can occur in people much younger. Cataracts are a common cause of blindness in babies who are born prematurely. As mentioned above, this can be reversed with surgery.
What causes cataracts?
The most common cause of cataracts is age. However, injuries to the eye such as those sustained in sports can also cause breakdowns in the eye that result in cataract formation. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, certain prescription medicines, and diseases such as diabetes have all also been linked to accelerated cataract growth.