What are Cataracts? Causes, Symptoms & preventions.

Inside our eyes, behind the iris & the pupil, we have natural lenses made of protein. Any structural change in them causes a negative impact on the vision. If you wear prescription glasses, and your glass lens gets mud, how does it feel? Same is what Cataract does to our eyes. It is basically a clouding layer in our natural lens that makes things look blurry, hazy, less-colorful and in most cases, causes vision loss. It is very common among people over age 65 (according to WHO) and is the common cause of blindness across the globe. However, due to the harsh climate in UAE, the situation is even worse.  

1.   Symptoms

Cataracts start out slowly so the patient hardly takes notice of the situation. But eventually, they start feeling like things are going blurred same as they see a cloudy piece of glass. Following are some common symptoms of Cataracts.

• It hurdles in reading
• Trouble driving car at night.
• Bright colors go yellow-ish
• Images go double instead of being appeared as one

2. Causes

There are many causes of the formation of cataracts. Some common ones for the condition are:

• Family history
• Certain medical problems like diabetes
• Hypertension
• Smoking
• Former injury or surgery, radiation treatment on the upper body
• Damage caused by overexposure to UV rays
• Poor diet
• Significant alcohol consumption
• High myopia, etc.

3. Prevention and precautions

You can not exactly prevent Cataracts, however, there is a number of useful ways that can help reduce the risk of the condition. Some of the most helpful ways are:

• Quit smoking & limit alcohol consumption
• When going out in the daytime, put on wraparound sunglasses
• Take Vitamin E enriched food
• Include lutein & zeaxanthin rich in your diet
• Go for a routine eye-check up if you have diabetes

4. Treatment

Initially, when the signs appear, wearing prescription glasses may help people improve their vision. But this is not the best solution. Cataracts may grow to an extremely annoying situation. So, to regain the original vision, keyhole surgery is the best option to look to.

If you are a health practitioner and want to discover new facts, figures and cutting-edge techniques about the subject, one of the leading healthcare management consultancy in Abu Dhabi is hosting a CME session, that will be disclosing comprehensive reviews across the full spectrum of cataract and glaucoma. It will get practitioners a window to indulge with providers of top healthcare conference sponsorship UAE and leading experts from across the globe. If you find this opportunity helpful, check the linked site out and sign up for the event.