Cataracts are a common eye problem that is most often associated with the aging process. If you live in Lebanon, PA, and think you may have a cataract, make an appointment today with one of the cataract specialists at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania to find out about surgery and other treatment options.
If you do have a cataract, you are definitely not alone. According to Prevent Blindness America, more than 24 million Americans age 40 and older have at least one cataract. And by age 80, more than half of all Americans will have them. Worldwide, cataracts are the leading cause of reversible vision impairment and blindness.
It makes sense. As we age, our hair turns gray, our bones weaken, our arteries harden, our hearing declines, our memory fades, and our vision gets cloudy. In most cases, cataracts are age-related, but there can be other causes:
- Congenital conditions (Some babies are born with cataracts or develop them at a very young age.)
- Eye injury or trauma
- Unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation
- Medications (most commonly corticosteroids)
- Disease (diabetics are at higher risk for cataracts)
How Cataracts Form
The human lens is located just behind the iris (the colored part of the eye) and the pupil. It is transparent so that light can pass through it easily. When working properly, light focuses on the back of the eye (the retina) to form clear, sharp images of what you see, and nerves transmit the images to the brain.
As we age, proteins in the lens start to break down and the lens gradually becomes cloudy. As a cataract develops, the lens delivers fuzzy images to the retina, causing blurred vision. Cataracts are not caused by overusing your eyes, and they do not spread from one eye to the other.
It is possible that you may not even realize you have a cataract. They grow very slowly and may not affect your vision in the early stages.
A cataract is not usually painful, but it can make routine tasks, like driving at night, difficult. Many people who have cataracts complain of sensitivity to light, glare, and halos around lights (especially oncoming headlights), and have a hard time focusing clearly.
Aside from these safety issues, cataracts can also affect the things in life that bring you the most enjoyment – seeing bright colors, reading, computer work, watching movies, needlework, playing golf. You may also notice that, no matter how often you have your eyeglass or contact prescription changed, you simply can’t see clearly.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Restore Your Good Vision
A careful exam by one of our specialists is the first step to restoring your clear vision. The experienced doctors at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania use specialized equipment to examine your eyes and check for the presence of cataracts.
Your doctor will talk to you about the health of your eyes and how the cataract is affecting your vision. If the cataract is not keeping you from doing the things you enjoy, you may want to postpone surgery until it begins to bother you.
If you are having problems with your vision, your doctor may recommend removing the cataract and replacing the cloudy lens with a clear lens implant. Cataract surgery is painless and precise. In fact, it is one of the most successful and safest procedures performed in the world.
To find out if you have a cataract or to get more information about cataract surgery options for patients in Lebanon, PA, contact us today to schedule an evaluation.