When people think of cataracts they often imagine a white, milky film that grows on their eyes. However, cataracts do not form on the eye, rather they form within the eye. More specifically, a cataract is a clouding of the lens, the part of the eye that focuses light and produces clear, sharp images. When this lens becomes cloudy due to age or other reasons, the result may be poor vision. The most common symptoms of cataracts include: cloudy or blurry vision, dull colors, a halo or glare around headlights or lamps, poor night vision, and/or double vision or multiple images appearing in one eye. Also, frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses can be a sign of cataracts.

What Are the Telltale Signs of Cataracts?

The devoted professionals who work at the Overland Park eye center can help you understand the common signs of cataracts.. Because of this, we have provided a detailed overview of the signs, as well as the symptoms that put you at a predisposition for developing cataracts. For most people, cataracts will be a natural result of aging. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. In fact, cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss among adults over the age of 55. Age-related cataracts develop in two ways: the first is a clustering of protein that clouds the lens and reduces the light that reaches your retina. The cloudiness tends to grow slowly, gradually getting worse, making it difficult to see. The second way cataracts develop involves the lens slowly changing to a yellowish/brownish color giving your vision a brownish tint. While this slow change in the amount of tinting does not affect the sharpness of the image, it will make it more difficult to identify colors.

While the risk of having cataracts increases as you get older, eye injuries, certain medications, and diseases, such as diabetes, have also been known to cause cataracts. Other risk factors include excessive smoking or alcohol use, and prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) sunlight. Those who work outside should protect their eyes from ultraviolet rays by wearing sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection. Wearing sunglasses and a brimmed hat to block ultraviolet sunlight may help to delay cataracts. Researchers believe a healthy diet can also help lower the risk of age-related cataracts and recommend eating green leafy vegetables, fruit, and other foods rich in antioxidants.

Learn More Today

 Are you suffering from cataracts, or do you think you may need a professional diagnosis? The friendly and skilled vision experts at our Overland Park eye center are dedicated to helping patients see with the greatest quality of vision.

To learn about cataracts and available treatment, call (913) 345-2020.

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