1. Cataracts impair your vision and decrease your quality of life. Your vision can become very dim causing you to need extra light to see, colours begin to fade, faces become unrecognizable and driving can be dangerous. They also increase your risk of falls because of decreased vision. Falls in an aging population can also mean time in bed because of fractures increasing other risks.
2. Age is the major risk for cataract formation but not the only risk for cataracts- other significant risks include conditions such as diabetes, trauma to the eye, as well as medication- particularly steroids. Diabetes is a common condition in our country with an estimated 170,000 people having diabetes. Steroid tablets (prednisolone) and drops containing steroids can increase your risk of cataracts. So, patients taking steroids should only do so under the supervision of their doctor. Steroid eye drops should only be prescribed by your ophthalmologist and monitored for the duration of treatment. For this reason you need to be very careful with over the counter eye drops, always ask your pharmacist if it has any steroids in it.
3. Cataract formation risk is increase by UV exposure from the sun. Therefore, wearing UV shades or glasses with UV coating can reduce these harmful rays and reduce the risk of cataracts as we get older. In the same way as sun block can protect skin from the UV rays of the sun. Sunblock should be applied daily to the face to protect your skin from the sun.
Fortunately, cataracts can be corrected surgically. If you have symptoms of cataracts or you are unsure contact us today to schedule your exam and determine if you will benefit from surgery. Call 319-3937
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