In the current era, many techniques are there to take care of your eyes, like instead of wearing spectacles; many people have now shifted towards contact lenses. Some companies are now selling contact lenses online, and people love to shop for such lenses either online or offline to protect their eyes. But apart from this, have you ever thought of cataracts and how to prevent them. As your spectacles or contact lens can surely improve your vision, but to avoid cataracts, you should change your lifestyle to keep your eyes healthy even in the long run.
Cataract usually happens in old age, which causes clouding in the eye lens. The patient may experience blurry vision with sensitivity to light as it progresses. But by taking necessary precautions right from a young age, you can avoid such conditions and consequently the need for surgery. Prevention is better than cure, so let’s know how you can keep your eyes healthy and safe.
How Is A Cataract Formed?
In human eyes, the lens is positioned at the back of the colored part of the eyes named iris. This lens focuses on the light passing through our eyes, and on our retina, a sharp, clear image is formed. With age, the flexibility, transparency and thickness of the lenses decrease. Older age causes the breakdown of proteins and fibers in the lens results in lens clouding.
With the development of cataracts, the cloud becomes denser. This cloud blocks the light passing through the lens, making the vision blurry. Cataract usually develops in both eyes but not at the same rate! It may be more interruptive in one eye, which causes a difference in vision.
Types Of Cataracts
- Cataracts interrupting the center of the lens (nuclear cataracts): This type of cataracts will lead to nearsightedness or it can even enhance your reading vision. But as time passes, the lens will become dense yellow, resulting in cloud formation. With time the lens color may turn brown. Such conditions will make it difficult for the patient to distinguish between color shades.
- Cataracts interrupting lens’ edges (cortical cataracts): This type of cataracts causes wedge-shaped opacities at the edge of the lens. These streaks reach the lens centre and interrupt the light passing through the lens centre.
- Cataracts interrupting the back of the lens (posterior subcapsular cataracts): This cataract starts like an opaque area at the backside of the lens from where the light comes. This type of cataracts interferes with the reading skills of the patient and lowers down their vision in bright light. Such cataracts proceed faster than other types.
- Cataracts present right from birth (congenital cataracts): Some people have cataracts right from birth or develop in their childhood. Such cataracts can be genetic or may develop because of any trauma.
How To Take Care Of Your Eyes
Simply doing some changes in your lifestyle you can surely avoid the condition of cataracts in old age. So, let’s know about such things more.
Make Changes In Your Diet.
Stick with a healthy diet with includes green vegetables, fruits, oily fish and whole grains. This will reduce the chances of cataracts. You can also include Vitamin A, E, C and omega 3 fatty acids in the diet as these are good for the eyes. As all things are good for your overall body, a balanced diet can keep you away from any eye disease.
Remain Away From Ultraviolet (UV) Rays
Protection of your eye from ultraviolet radiation is necessary. A hat, scarf or sunglasses can shield your eyes from harmful UV rays. Also, you can go with polarized glasses, UV blocking content lenses or photochromatic lenses while going out in the sun. UV rays enhance the risk of cataracts and other skin-related problems.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is again harmful to your eyes as well as to whole-body health. Smoking usually fastens the formation of cataracts by almost three times.
Keep A Check On Sugar Levels.
If your blood has a high sugar level, it may lead to cataracts formation. The average age of diabetic patients with poor control on sugar with cataracts is quite lower than the overall population’s average. Hence it is always recommended to have control over your sugar level. Also, high sugar levels may lead to diabetic retinopathy, which causes the formation of blood vessels in light-sensitive areas of the eyes. Such blood vessels leak blood and fluid, which causes retinal swelling.
Avoid Trauma
Traumatic cataract has no age limit and can happen even at a young age. Hence it is advised to take care of your eyes in any condition. You can wear protective eyewear, including glasses or shields, to avoid eye injury at the workplace or while playing outdoor games.
Don’t Take Steroids Unnecessarily.
Steroids are life-saving medications, but their rampant use can lead to various health issues. Many chemists give such medications to patients with little regard and know about their side effects. Avoid self-medication of steroids; take it only after consulting your doctor.
Give A Regular Visit To The Eye Clinic.
Even if you don’t have any problem with your eyes, it is still good to visit the eye clinic once a year for a complete eye checkup, especially if you are above 40 years of age. In routine visits, doctors usually check the chances of cataracts, glaucoma, vision disorder and other eye diseases. If detected earlier, your doctor can suggest the required precautionary step to prevent your eyes from major damage.
What If I Get A Cataract?
The above measures will surely keep you away from cataracts for longer, but your eyes can still develop it with age. If you develop a cataract, initially, instead of going for surgery, your doctor will advise you on glasses. If your vision loss is interrupting your daily activities, your doctor will let you know the benefits and risks of intraocular lens implantation surgery.
Although hearing the word surgery may sound scary, it is a routine procedure in almost all eye clinics. Your doctor will let you know about the lens and surgery processes that can heal your eyes and help you get the vision back to normal.