Over 50 percent of Americans have a cataract or had cataract surgery by age 80.
Eye cataracts refer to the cloudy spots in the lens of the eye. Symptoms may include fuzzy or blurry vision, sensitivity to glare and double vision. According to WebMD, common causes include natural aging, overexposure to ultraviolet rays, eye disease, diabetes and family history. While surgery is the only way to fully treat cataracts, there are steps you can take to prevent this condition from worsening. With proper care, you can lessen its negative effects on your vision.
Instructions
1. Keep your eye prescription up to date. One symptom of cataracts is a constantly changing prescription, as the condition affects your vision. Keeping your glasses or contacts prescription up to date minimizes the effects of cataracts.
2. Adapt your home with lighting and vision aids. Cataracts may cause sensitivity to glares from too much lighting, notes WebMD. Install lighting in your home with brightness level adjustments to find a level that does not affect your vision or irritate your eyes. WebMD recommends video and computer enlargement systems that transmit an enlarged image of pictures or print to a screen to make it easier for you to see and allow you to alter screen brightness and contrast. Use magnifiers or special eyeglasses with illumination to help you read.
3. Protect your eyes from sunlight by wearing sunglasses or brimmed hats. The National Eye Institute reports that overexposure to harmful ultraviolet rays contributes to the development and worsening of cataracts.
4. Stop smoking. WebMD indicates that smoking causes and worsens cataract development.
5. Call your doctor to consider your options for surgery since it's the only effective treatment for cataracts. You should consider surgery if your condition affects your everyday activities, like driving or reading. Talk to your doctor about the benefits as well as the risks of surgery. Your doctor may refer you to an ophthalmologist, a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of eye problems.
6. Care for your eyes properly post-surgery. Typically, doctors will prescribe after-surgery eye drops. Use drops according to the directions on the bottle or given by your doctor. Continue protecting your eyes from sunlight and contact your doctor if you notice any indicators of surgical complications such as decreasing vision, pain, changes in your field of vision and any redness, swelling or discharge in or around the eye.
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