I always struggled with school work when I was younger. The words just seem to swim in front of my eyes, and I found it hard to concentrate on the page. It wasn't until much later that I realised that I was long-sighted. As soon as I got prescription glasses, I suddenly found it much easier to read and actually started to enjoy reading for relaxation. I wish I'd gotten glasses so much earlier. This blog is all about getting glasses for long-sighted kids and has some tips on knowing when a kid should be taken to the optometrist for an eye test.
A common eye condition that can lead to loss of vision in the over 40 age group is cataracts. So, what causes cataracts and what can your optometrist do to help?
Cataracts
A cataract is the term used to describe the clouding of the eye's lens, obstructing the iris and pupil and causing the sight to be compromised.
The aging process can cause the proteins within the eye to clump together, causing a small area of clouding. Over time, the area of clumping grows, making it more and more difficult to see clearly. In addition to ageing, there are a number of other causes of cataracts including:
You may also be more prone to developing cataracts if you have a family history of them.
Signs and symptoms
A cataract may at first have little impression on your vision. You may notice that your vision is a little blurred, as though you were looking through cloudy glass. You may find the light from a lamp or from the sun seems to be overly bright. Night driving can become challenging as you may find that oncoming headlights cause more glare than they did previously. Some people may find that colours appear faded or not as vivid as they once were.
Treatment
If you think that you may be developing cataracts, you should seek the immediate advice of an eye specialist. In the short-term it may be possible to improve your vision through using glasses and appropriate lighting.
Surgery is also a relatively simple option that you may like to consider as the condition progresses. Cataract surgery has a good success rate with most people enjoying 20/20 or 20/40 vision afterwards.
The surgeon will extract the damaged, cloudy lens from your eye and replace it with a clear plastic lens. Plastic lenses are designed to protect the rest of your eye from damage by UV rays and some are even designed to correct other visual problems so that you won't need to wear glasses.
In conclusion
If you think that your vision is becoming cloudy or you experience any of the other symptoms outlined above, you should ask your doctor for a referral to an optometrist. An experienced eye doctor will be best placed to make a definitive diagnosis of your cataracts and discuss treatment options with you.
Share