June is Cataract Awareness Month : Tips for Prevention

June is Cataract Awareness Month : Tips for Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 17.2% of Americans over the age of 40 (around 20.5 million people) suffer from cataracts.

Cataracts are a well-known eye condition that is most often seen in people over the age of 40, but can affect anyone at any age. Cataracts occur when changes to the proteins that are usually evenly-dispersed across the natural lens of the eye that causes them to clump together. This clumping causes cloudy patches in your field of vision that are impossible to see through. They usually develop slowly, and patients liken the experience to looking through frosted glass. Cataracts can form in one eye or both eyes, and their rate of development can vary too. They are painless and are usually first picked up at a routine eye exam rather than as a result of a visit caused by unusual symptoms. While there is a treatment for them, there are also things that you can do to lower your risk of getting cataracts in the future.

June is Cataract Awareness Month, and here are our top tips to prevent cataracts from forming, and for preserving you vision into the future.  

Eat a healthy, balanced diet that contains nutrients that are good for eye health

What we eat plays a huge role in our overall health and wellbeing, and that includes how healthy our eyes are. A balanced diet that contains lots of vitamins and minerals will help ensure that our eyes are functioning as well as they can, and studies have suggested that a healthy diet rich in nutrients could reduce the risk of developing cataracts. There are some nutrients that are proven to be particularly good for eye health, including zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C and vitamin D. Oily fish, dark leafy vegetables and citrus fruits are particularly good sources of these nutrients.

Don’t smoke

Many people are surprised to learn that smoking isn’t only bad for their general health, but it can also increase their risk of developing a range of eye problems, including cataracts. One of the reasons believed to be behind this is that smoking reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrients in the blood, preventing the eyes from getting what they need to be as healthy as possible.

Manage any other health conditions you have

Many body systems are intrinsically linked and if you fail to manage other elements of your health, you could increase your risk of developing eye problems, including cataracts. For example, if you have to take medication for diabetes, be sure to take this exactly as directed.

Protect your eyes from the sun

Most of us know that being exposed to the sun can cause changes to skin cells, but it can also cause changes to the cells of the eyes too. Not only does not wearing sunglasses increase the risk of skin cancer developing on the skin around the eyes, but it could also contribute to the development of cataracts. For this reason, eye doctors recommend that you wear sunglasses that block out 99-100% of UV light, even on cloudy days.

Visit your eye doctor regularly

Regular visits to your eye doctor provide them with an opportunity to spot any developing issues, including cataracts.

If you would like more information about cataracts and how to prevent them, call Justice Vision Clinic at (770) 626-7883 to reach our office in Duluth, Georgia.