Common Age-related Diseases – Cataract
What is a cataract?
A cataract is the clouding of the transparent lens in our eyes. The lens in our eyes is made of mostly water and protein, and its function is to help focus light on the retina, allowing us to see. However, as we age, some of these proteins may clump up resulting in the clouding of the lens, forming a cataract. As time goes by, the cataract gets denser resulting in visual disturbance which eventually leads to blindness if no intervention was done.
How do I know if I have Cataract?
A common misconception of Cataract is that many of us think that we only have cataracts when our eye turns whitish on the inside, however, more often than not Cataracts are not obvious to the naked eye and require eye checks done by an optometrist or ophthalmologist to pick them up. If you are over 60 years old, you probably already have them. In fact, you can get age-related cataracts as early as 40 years old.
Apart from the misconception mentioned above, one main reason why people do not notice it when they have Cataracts is that Cataracts typically form gradually, the build-up of cataracts is so slow that most people do not realize that their vision deteriorates until it starts to affect their daily lifestyle.
Some symptoms of cataracts include:
- Blurry or cloudy vision
- Poor vision in low lighting conditions
- The colours appear to be less vibrant
- Increased sensitivity to glare
- Double vision in the “ cataract” eye
- Problems with near work, e.g Reading
- Requires more frequent change in prescription.
How can I prevent myself from getting Cataracts?
Similar to Presbyopia (Lao Hua), having Cataracts are inevitable, but some tips to slow down the progression of Cataracts are:
- protect your eyes from Ultraviolet B rays by wearing sunglasses outdoors
- eat fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants
- keep diabetes and other medical conditions in check
Want to know if you have cataracts or any other age-related eye diseases? Call us at 6533 0095 to book an appointment now! To find out more about our services, do visit our website at http://www.eyecare247.co/