Preventing Blindness During Cataract Awareness Month

Statistics show that cataracts are the major cause of blindness anywhere on the planet. In the United States alone at least 25 million Americans have cataracts. This eye disease clouds your natural eye lenses, preventing light from passing through them.

Prevent Blindness — a non-profit — declared June as the Cataract Awareness Month to help reduce the occurrence of cataracts. The goal is to educate the people about the essentials of cataracts to help reduce the cases. If you want to start preventing blindness during the Cataract Awareness Month, here’s what you should do.

Clinical findings state that when you smoke, you take in cyanide from the fumes. The cyanide enters your bloodstream and from there, it destroys the cells of your eyes. Whenever you smoke, you’re at a greater risk of developing dry eyes, macular degeneration, and cataracts. Research indicates that smoking also decreases blood oxygenation, depriving your eyes of blood and nutrients. Stopping this habit can help cleanse your system and revitalize your eyes.

This month, you can start improving your eye health by changing your diet. Zeaxanthin, lutein, vitamin A, vitamin C, and Omega-3 fatty acids are the nutrients you need to achieve optimal eye health. Vegetables, berries, citruses, and cold-water fish are rich sources that you can incorporate into your daily diet.

CDC specialists recommend sunglasses and sunblock for eye protection. UV protective sunglasses can shield your eyes from harmful UVB and UVA rays. These rays trigger the development of macular degeneration and cataracts. Sunblock or sunscreen helps protect the skin around your eyes. With enough sun protection on your skin, you can prevent tumors, melanoma, and carcinoma.

Through extensive eye checkups, your eye care provider can spot problems early. If your doctor finds any issue, then you can have immediate treatment for it. Seeing your eye doctor regularly can help you manage your eye problems. Expect your eye specialist to check your eye pressure, pupils, central vision, and color vision. Your doctor will use special eye drops to dilate your pupil and examine the back of your eye.

You tend to develop symptoms of dry eyes when you work in front of your computer for hours. Dry eye syndrome involves the deterioration of the mucus and oil glands that prevent water in your tears from evaporating. Eye doctors say that this condition can complicate cataract surgery. According to the American Optometric Association, you should take a break every 20 minutes by looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to correct dry eyes.

Cataracts are common, but there are effective treatments. You can slow down the development of cataracts by protecting your eyes from UV rays and keeping your body healthy. At Lakeside Eye Associates, we do our best to help you keep cataracts at bay, especially during Cataract Awareness Month. Please call us at 704-457-7300 if you want to schedule an appointment or make some inquiries. You are also welcome to visit our clinic in Huntersville, North Carolina, for a one-on-one consultation.