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HEALTHY REASONING: Cataracts Are Easy To Correct, But Can Make You Blind

HEALTHY REASONING: Cataracts Are Easy To Correct, But Can Make You Blind

By Allan Bucka Jones
PRIDE Health Columnist

As we get older, the natural lens of the eye gets cloudy and impairs the ability to see. The problem becomes obvious to most of us in our 60’s. It’s like a very dirty windshield on a car. The car engine may be working properly, but a dirty windshield makes it difficult or not possible to drive the car. This clouding of the lens is called a cataract. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40, easy to correct, but is the principal cause of blindness in the world.

Cataracts are painless, and are usually detected during routine eye exams. More than 2.5 million Canadians have cataracts.

The good news is that cataracts can be easily corrected surgically. During surgery you are awake, and it lasts no longer than 30 minutes. Even if both eyes are affected by cataracts, surgery is done on one eye at a time. It is a day surgery, meaning you do not stay overnight in a hospital or surgery centre. Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed and successful surgeries in Canada, totalling 250,000 annually. More than 95 per cent of patients have improved vision after cataract surgery. The surgeon removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial one.

A cataract starts out small and at first has little effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, like looking through a cloudy piece of glass. A cataract may make light from the sun or a lamp seem too bright or glaring. Or you may notice when you drive at night that the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before. Colors may not appear as bright as they once did.

Cataract risk factors include, advancing age, ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and other sources, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, prolonged use of steroid medications, statin medicines used to reduce cholesterol, previous eye injury or inflammation, previous eye surgery, hormone replacement therapy, significant alcohol consumption, short sightedness or family history.  Though there is significant controversy about whether cataracts can be prevented, a number of studies suggest certain nutrients and nutritional supplements may reduce your risk of cataracts.

When symptoms begin to appear, you may be able to improve your vision for a while using new glasses, strong bifocals, magnification, appropriate lighting or other visual aids.

Think about surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision.

Nine out of ten people who have cataract surgery regain very good vision. During surgery, the surgeon will remove your clouded lens and in most cases replace it with a clear, plastic intraocular lens (IOL) about the size of a penny. New IOLs are being developed all the time to make the surgery less complicated for surgeons and the lenses more helpful to patients.

In most cases a cataract is a natural part of aging. In fact, if a person lives long enough, every individual will develop a cataract. Some people develop dense cataracts at age 60, while others remain cataract free until age 90. According to Statistics Canada, seniors will make up 21 per cent of the population by 2026, which is one in five, so expect more cataracts in the coming years.

If you notice changes in your eyesight, set up a visit to an ophthalmologist or optometrist to check if a cataract is the reason. The good news is, cataracts are easy to correct, and good vision can be restored.

Allan Bucka Jones is a Health Promoter and Broadcaster. You can contact Allan Bucka Jones at allan@jonesandjones.ca.

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