A healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk for diabetes and heart disease. Can it also prevent cataracts? Most likely it will not. An age-related condition, cataracts cannot be prevented. Living a healthy lifestyle is among factors that may slow cataract onset or progression.
To understand cataracts, think of your eye as if it was a camera. A camera requires a good lens and the ability to focus and record an image on film.
“Your eye camera’s lens has two parts: the cornea in the front of the eye and the natural lens located behind the iris,” said Ophthalmologist Lin Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Marshfield Clinic Minocqua and Park Falls Centers. “Your retina acts as the film of the camera, and you wear glasses, if needed, to help the eye camera to focus.”
Cataracts cause the natural lens to gradually become cloudy. Symptoms may include:
Decreased visionDecreased color visionGlareDouble visionFrequent prescription changes
Symptoms will vary depending on where the cataract develops on the natural lens: in the center or on the edge.
“Cataracts are generally caused by changes to your eye from aging, injury or from inherited conditions that increase your risk for their development,” said Dr. Chen. “By watching what you eat, exercising, avoiding smoking, and wearing sunglasses to minimize sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) exposure, you can help reduce this risk.”
Medications and chronic conditions can affect risk.
“Medications that contain steroids, used for asthma and some skin conditions, can increase your risk for cataracts,” said Dr. Chen. “Routine eye exams can help with monitoring the health of your eyes, particularly if you take these types of medications or have a chronic condition such as diabetes.”
You may not notice a developing cataract because it often affects your vision gradually. “It may only first be discovered during your routine eye exam,” said Dr. Chen. “Treatment usually starts with checking the glasses prescription to determine if a change in glasses will improve the vision. When the vision can no longer be corrected with a prescription change and the decreased vision has affected the patient’s daily activities such as driving and reading, I talk with the patient about the option of cataract surgery.”
Cataract surgery involves replacing the eye’s cloudy natural lens with a clear, artificial one. The new lens is often adjusted for distance focus, so most patients still require glasses for seeing up close.
Mid-60s is the age range in which cataracts typically occur. Patients may also be affected at an earlier age.
“The patient plays a major role in making the decision about having cataract surgery,” said Dr. Chen. “Sometimes people choose to wait. How soon you choose to have cataract surgery really depends on how it affects your daily activities.”
