The eyes are the most important part of the human body. However, it may sometimes suffer from certain severe diseases like cataracts. A cataract is a defect in the human eye that causes the lens of the eye to become cloudy.
Seeing through a cloudy lens can often be difficult. A good example of how to understand a person’s vision affected by a cataract is a windshield with dust accumulated on it. Cataract is a disease that is often seen in old age people. However, it can also affect people of younger age groups.
Let us know in detail what causes cataracts in the human eye, its symptoms, treatment, and necessary precautions to avoid such diseases.
What Causes Cataracts?
In the human body, cataract causes include the lack of necessary essentials needed for the eye. As the human body ages, changes start to occur in your eyes. A younger human body might not get affected by cataracts most often due to its ability to provide all the essentials the eye needs.
At the age of 40 or older, certain changes occur in the eye. These changes can result in the breaking down and clumping of the protein in your eye. Ultimately, this makes the eye lens cloudy and results in cataracts.
With time, cataracts worsen and can result in complete vision loss. While age can be one of the most common issues for cataracts, there can be other potential reasons behind the eye getting affected by this disease that are:
- Cataracts may be transferred to your body through genetic disorders. If your parents, brother, sister, or other members have cataracts, it is likely to also occur in your eye.
- Severe medical problems like diabetes might ultimately affect your eyes and result in the formation of cataracts.
- Being constantly exposed to sunlight for a longer duration can also result in the formation of cataracts.
- Smoking can also result in the breaking down of eye protein and cause cataracts to form.
These are some other common reasons that can result in the formation of cataracts in the human body.
Symptoms of Cataract
Cataracts generally occur in people above 40 years. However, there can be instances when cataracts might also occur in people of younger age groups. Here are some cataract symptoms that can help you identify its occurrence in your eye:
- Vision getting blurred
- Seeing double images of an object out of an eye
- Eyes become sensitive upon exposure to sunlight, headlights, or other bright objects
- Having difficulty reading and seeing at night
- Bright colors and objects appear to be faded.
Treatment Options for Cataract
Cataract is a problem that cannot be cured through medicines. To get rid of this disease, one must undergo cataract surgery. Cataract treatment involves surgery which is the removal of your blurred lens from the eye and replacing it with a new intraocular lens. An intraocular lens is an artificial lens alternative to your original eye lens.
However, before going through a cataract surgery, the patient must undergo various tests to ensure a successful one. These include testing of vision, examining the eye structure, retinal examination, and fluid pressure test. Upon examining all these aspects, an ophthalmologist proceeds with cataract surgery to restore the patient’s vision.
Precaution to Prevent Cataract
Cataracts can be formed unknowingly in the eye at any stage of life. Therefore, taking good care of your eyes and considering certain precautions might prevent your eyes from getting affected by cataracts.
Here are some necessary cataract precautions you can adopt:
- Do not expose your eyes to direct sunlight. Wear sunglasses, and consider other protective measures to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
- Try not to smoke too much. If you are a core smoker, try to reduce the frequency of smoking each day to help your eyes last longer.
- Considering healthy foods as a part of your diet can improve the health of your eye lens and prevent cataracts from forming.
- Regular washing of your eyes and taking good care of them will result in a healthy lens in your eye.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, cataracts have become a common problem that can be seen in old age people. However, if proper precautions and care for the eye are not taken, cataracts can form in the eyes of younger people as well.
If you notice blurred vision constantly or notice other cataract signs, you must consult an ophthalmologist immediately. At an earlier stage, surgery might not be needed to get rid of cataracts. Therefore, it is best to consult a doctor at the initial stage of the formation of cataracts.
