Research has shown that eating foods that contain the healthy vitamins C and E, and lutein and zeaxanthin, may reduce your risk of cataracts. Additionally, if you already have cataracts, these vitamins and nutrients may slow their progression.
Cataracts are a natural part of growing older. However, repeated exposure to UV radiation without eye protection can amplify and speed up this process. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, so it's important to protect yourself however you can.
Stop smoking, reduce alcohol use, and manage health problems. Health issues like diabetes, as well as excessive alcohol use, can increase the likelihood of cataracts. Eat fruits and vegetables. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals is associated with a reduced risk of developing cataracts.
Prolonged exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can enhance cataract progression. During sunny days when you must be outside, try to wear sunglasses. For the same reasons as stated above, reducing the amount of ultraviolet light that reaches your eyes will help keep cataracts at bay.
The operation can be performed at any stage of cataract development. There is no need to wait until your cataract is “ripe” before removing it. Most people choose to have their cataracts removed when the change in their vision starts to cause them difficulties in everyday life.
What is the average age for cataract surgery? While many people are diagnosed with cataracts in their 40s, the average age for cataract surgery is 65. That said, there is no one age that's better for cataract surgery than others. In fact, the average age for cataract surgery has been decreasing over the past few years.
Surgery is the only way to get rid of a cataract, but you may not need to get surgery right away. Home treatment. Early on, you may be able to make small changes to manage cataracts.
Currently, there are no permanent nonsurgical treatment options for cataracts. Surgery is the only way to entirely remove cataracts from your eye. Nonsurgical treatment options exist to help manage the symptoms of cataracts, reduce their severity, and slow their progression.
Cataracts form when the proteins in the lens of your eye clump together, making your lens cloudy. The lens of your eye is normally clear, letting light pass through it. The lens helps focus the light onto your retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye) so you can see things clearly.
If your eyes are regularly over-exposed to the sun's UV rays this can certainly damage them, possibly causing vision problems, blindness, and cataracts. The longer your eyes are exposed to the UV rays the higher the risk of cataracts forming.
Stage 3: The 'Clear' Cataract
This type of blur cannot be corrected with glasses or contacts. Contrast goes down, and glare becomes noticeable. You may find yourself changing glasses more often, even several times in a year, as the lens changes. You may become more nearsighted.
Because emotional or psychological stress is associated with increased oxidant production and oxidative damage, long-term exposure to emotional or psychological stressors may enhance the risk of many diseases associated with oxidative stress, including cataracts.
Although it's never too late to have a cataract removed, it is better to have cataracts removed while they are immature, as this reduces the length of surgery and the recovery time. Earlier removal also means that you avoid the significant visual impairment associated with very mature (hypermature) cataracts.
Some research shows that eating foods high in antioxidants like vitamins C and E may help prevent cataracts. If you already have cataracts, it may slow their growth. Good sources of vitamin C include: Citrus (oranges, grapefruit, limes, etc.)
Results. Cataract surgery successfully restores vision in the majority of people who have the procedure. People who've had cataract surgery may develop a secondary cataract. The medical term for this common complication is known as posterior capsule opacification ( PCO ).
Patients who have undergone Cataract surgery in one eye will have clearer vision compared to the affected eye which increases the pressure on the treated eye. The increased pressure on a single eye can be stressful.
Yes, you can. In fact, you can have cataract surgery in just one eye or cataract surgery in both eyes at once, depending on the needs of your particular eyes. We recommend discussing these needs with your trusted ophthalmologist.
People with low blood levels of antioxidants and those who eat few antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables have been reported to be at high risk for cataracts. Vitamin B2 and vitamin B3 are needed to protect glutathione, an important antioxidant in the eye. Vitamin B2 deficiency has been linked to cataracts.
Some Don'ts: Things to Avoid
Avoiding eating and drinking before your surgery. Don't wear makeup to the surgery appointment, and avoid wearing makeup until your ophthalmologist allows it so that you can better prevent infection. Avoid getting irritants in your eyes.
Running or walking for 30 minutes a day can help reduce your risk of age-related cataracts. A cataract is a clouding that forms in the normally clear lens of the eye. Exercising three or more times per week will lower your risk of wet age-related macular degeneration.
Cataracts are a progressive condition which means that without treatment, your vision will get worse over time. In the case of age-related cataracts, the condition usually progresses slowly over a number of months or years.
Researchers say 30% to 50% of people who had cataract surgery need glasses after cataract surgery. Whether you'll be one of them is based on several factors.
Medicare covers medically necessary cataract surgery with standard intraocular lenses. Medicare won't cover advanced technology lenses or elective surgery primarily to correct vision from nearsightedness or astigmatism, called “refractive lens exchanges.”
This might all sound serious, but cataract surgery is the most commonly performed elective procedure in Australia, with the average age for surgery being just under 76 years¹, and 90% of cataract operations performed on those aged 60 years and over ².