Ways to Lower Your Risk for Cataracts

What is Cataract?

Cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens, which is the part of the eye that focuses light and images on the retina. It occurs when proteins in the lens clump together, resulting in malfunction and eventual blindness. 

Cataract typically occurs with aging and is a major cause of visual impairment among older adults. In some cases, cataracts may need to be surgically removed to restore vision.

What are the signs and symptoms of Cataract?

The most common signs and symptoms of cataracts are:  

• Blurry or hazy vision.  
• A decrease in the intensity or brightness of colors.
• Sudden sensitivity to glare from light sources, such as oncoming headlights.
• Seeing double images in one eye.
• Problems with night vision.
• Impaired side (peripheral) vision.

What are possible complications of Cataract?

Cataracts can lead to a variety of complications, some of which can be serious and threaten your vision. These include:

• Increase in nearsightedness: Cataracts can cause a person's eye to become more nearsighted, or have higher myopia, than it was before the cataract developed. This increase in nearsightedness could make it difficult for the affected person to focus on objects at a distance.
• Increase sensitivity to glare and light: Cataracts can also make the eyes more susceptible to the effects of bright lights, such as those found in car headlamps or office lighting. This increased sensitivity can make it uncomfortable for someone with cataracts to navigate at night or work under bright lights during the day.
• Development of secondary cataracts: In some cases, after a primary cataract has been removed, secondary cataracts may form within the eye due to clumping of residual proteins in the lens capsule left behind after surgery. This can result in cloudy vision that may require further surgical intervention to treat effectively if it causes significant visual interference with daily activities.
• Blindness: Severe cases of cataract formation may lead to vision loss and even blindness if left untreated for too long or if other issues arise during treatment (such as infection).

Ways to Lower Your Risk for Cataracts

• Maintain a healthy diet: Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoiding unhealthy fats, such as trans fatty acids, may lower your risk for cataracts.
• Avoid nicotine: Studies have demonstrated that nicotine consumption increases the risk of developing cataracts. Because of this, it is essential to abstain from using any sort of nicotine product, including cigarettes and other tobacco products.
• Avoid secondhand smoke: Just being around secondhand smoke can increase your risk for developing cataracts, so try to avoid it as much as possible.
• Exercise regularly: Participating in physical activity on a consistent basis is not only beneficial for your general health, but it also has the potential to reduce your chance of acquiring certain eye illnesses like cataracts.
• Get regular eye exams: Early detection is critical for successful treatment measures so regular eye exams should be done every 2-3 years after the age of 40 or immediately if any symptoms start appearing suddenly or increase in intensity or frequency over time.
• Maintain a healthy weight: Being obese or overweight has been linked to an increased risk of developing certain types of diseases, including certain forms of cataracts. Keeping your weight within a healthy range is important in minimizing your risk for these diseases as well as other health issues like diabetes or heart disease.
• Avoid certain medications: Long-term use of certain medications such as steroids and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can increase your risk for developing cataracts, so talk to your doctor about any medicines you’re taking.
• Consume foods that are rich in antioxidants, such as berries and green leafy vegetables: Rich sources of antioxidants help to reduce oxidative stress which is a leading cause of cataract formation. Blueberries, strawberries, spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, raspberries, cranberries, and goji berries are some examples of foods that are strong in antioxidants. Other examples include blueberry juice and tea.
• Wear UV-blocking sunglasses: Wearing sunglasses will protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays which can damage the lens proteins and contribute to cataracts development over time. Look for sunglasses that block out at least 99% of UVA and UVB rays when shopping for sunglasses.
• Maintain good blood sugar control: Poorly managed diabetes can have a detrimental effect on the vision due to increased risk of high intraocular pressure which can eventually lead to cataract formation so it is advisable to maintain good control over diabetes through healthy lifestyle modifications such as regular exercise and balanced diet as well as taking medications as prescribed by your physician if required from time to time.
• Try Ayurvedic remedies like Brahmi Ghrit (Ayurvedic herbal ghee): Brahmi Ghrit contains Natural Herbs such as Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus microcarpa), Bhringraj (Eclipta prostrata), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Sariva (Hemidesmus indicus), punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa), Gokshuru, etc., which helps fight against Cataract naturally with no side effects and improves vision with Nutritional benefits derived from cow's Milk mixed with these Herbs; this has been used since very old times for protection against Cataract. 

If none of the methods described above are successful for you, you may have to resort to medical or surgical treatment.

What are the surgical treatments for Cataract?

Surgical treatments for cataracts involve the removal of the clouded lens and replacement with a clear synthetic intraocular lens implant. This is known as cataract surgery and it is one of the most common and successful surgeries in the world. Depending on what type of cataract you have, your surgeon may recommend a different treatment option including: 

• Phacoemulsification: This type of surgery involves a tiny probe which uses sound waves to break up the cloudy lens into small pieces. The pieces are then gently removed from the eye before an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) can be inserted to replace it. 
• Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE): Sometimes ECCE might be recommended in cases when a phacoemulsification is not suitable, for example if you have an advanced cataract or severe eye injury or disease. The procedure involves making a larger incision into your cornea (the front part of your eye) which then allows the surgeon to remove both the clouded lens and surrounding capsule without breaking it into fragments. Once removed, they can replace it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). 

Best doctors to consult for Cataract?

There are a great many subspecialties within the medical profession that specialise in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of cataracts.

• Ophthalmologist: Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialise in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases and disorders of the eye. They can also do eye surgery. Cataracts can be diagnosed, monitored, and treated by ophthalmologists, who also typically conduct the surgery to remove the cataracts.
• Optometrist: Optometrists are health care professionals who work in eye health to diagnose and treat vision problems related to cataracts as well as other ocular conditions. They use various tests to assess a patient's vision, such as a visual acuity test, examining internal eye structures such as the lens or cornea, measuring intraocular pressure, or assessing your colour vision.
• Optical Technician or Dispensing Optician: Optical technicians dispense eyeglasses, contact lenses and other optical devices prescribed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist to restore vision or limit further damage from existing conditions including cataracts. 

All three types of healthcare providers can help you lower your risk for developing cataracts by offering treatments and lifestyle modifications that have preventive benefits, but only an ophthalmologist can treat them surgically if necessary. Therefore, it is important to discuss any concerns with your optometrist before seeking assistance from an ophthalmologist if you think you may be at risk for developing cataracts.