Joan’s Boomer Blog

I never thought much about the prevention and symptoms of cataracts until an opthamologist told me recently I had the first signs of cataracts in my eyes. I’ve always been a very healthy person and worn my sunglasses to protect my eyes, but I wanted to know if there were other cataract preventions I could add to the list.

What are Cataracts and What Causes Them?

Cataracts are a clouding of the lens in the eye which impairs vision. Aging is the main cause of cataracts but other contributing factors could be diabetes, smoking and alcohol use, overexposure of your eyes to sunlight.

Symptoms of Cataracts

Early stages of cataracts produce little or no symptoms. As they progress, you might experience:

• Clouded or blurred vision
• Colors seem faded or less vivid
• A halo may appear around lights or ordinary light may seem too bright.
• Poor night vision
• Double vision or multiple images in one eye
• Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.

If you have any of these symptoms, schedule an exam with an eye care professional as they may also be symptoms of other eye problems.

Cataract Prevention and Treatment

Once you have cataracts, there is no natural way to reverse them and surgery is required to remove the cataracts. However, I found there are things that you can do to possibly slow the rate that your cataracts are forming. For some, these these methods might even prevent cataracts from forming in the first place. Try these strategies for possible cataract prevention:

• Regular Eye Exams -If you are over age 60, you should have a comprehensive eye examination at least once every two year, including dilation of your pupils. This means drops are put into your eyes to enlarge your pupils. I can vouch for this strategy.

I’ve worn glasses since I was 12 years old and now I’m nearly 60. I’ve had regular eye exams yearly over all those years and no one, until recently, told me I had the early signs of cataracts. However, my past eye exams were with an optometrist who did not dilate my eyes and during my last exam, I had every test available and my eyes were dilated. After dilating your eyes, your eye care professional can see the back of your eye better than without it. It’s possible to see cataracts without dilating the eyes but getting a good view of the retina and optic nerve is important in detecting eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or other vision problems.

• Don’t smoke and limit alcohol
• Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from sunlight exposure.

Early treatment for these eye diseases might just save your sight.Lifestyle and Diet Changes

• Protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses
• Don’t smoke or quit if you do.
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Get regular physicals to check for diabetes or other vision-threatening health conditions.
• Add antioxidants and certain vitamins for a healthy lifestyle. Cataract research scientists believe that good nutrition can help reduce the risk of age-related cataracts and lessen other eye problems.

Take care of your eyes. They are the only ones you have and it’s easier to try and prevent conditions like cataracts, than it is to treat the conditions once you have them.