5 Effective ways to prevent or lower your risk from cataracts | Zyla health
Hi everyone! Are you worried about your cataract and want to know how to reduce your chance of getting one or prevent it?
You’ve arrived at the ideal location! A typical age-related eye ailment that can impair your daily conditioning and eyesight is cataracts.
Since cataracts can seriously impair vision, it’s critical to take preventative measures to keep your eyes healthy.
Yet, there are many practical strategies to keep your eyes healthy and lower your risk of developing cataracts. Let’s quickly review what a cataract is and how it impacts vision first, though. Now let’s get going.
Cataract: What is it?
Cataracts are patches of cloudiness that form on the lens of your eye as a result of crystallin, and proteins, breaking down.
Your eyesight may become blurry as a result of these foggy spots, giving you the impression that you are seeing the world through soiled glasses.
When light is focused onto the retina, the lens is essential in sending visual information to the brain. The development of cataracts causes the lens to become opaque or clouded, which obstructs light flow and impairs
Symptoms
Cataract symptoms include:
- Vision that’s cloudy, blurry, foggy or filmy
- Changes in the way you see colour (colours may look faded or not as vivid)
- Sensitivity to bright sunlight, headlights or lamps
- Glare, including halos or streaks that form around lights
- Difficulty seeing at night
- Changes in your vision prescription, including near-sightedness that gets worse
- Needing a brighter light to read
- Double vision
Need help with any of the symptoms and want to get rid of cataracts? Download Zyla app or visit zyla.in to identify the root cause & better personalised care.
You might be wondering what causes cataracts when you come across symptoms.
No worries, I have got you covered, let’s know some risk factors and common causes.
Causes & risk factors
Lens proteins gradually break down to generate cataracts, and environmental and genetic factors raise the chance of having cataracts early in life.
- Age- Age-related lens proteins slowly denature and deteriorate, and conditions like diabetes mellitus and hypertension speed up this process.
- Trauma- The swollen, thickened, and whitened lens fibres are the result of blunt damage.
- Radiation- By deteriorating defensive enzymes, exposure to microwaves, UVA/UVB radiation, and X-rays can be harmful.
- Genetics- Abnormalities in the chromosome are linked to cataracts
- Skin diseases- Since the skin and lens share a common embryological ancestor, they are susceptible to disorders that affect both.
- Smoking & alcohol- Cigarette smoking has been shown to increase the risk of age-related cataracts and nuclear cataracts
- Inadequate Vitamin C- A decrease in the lens’s antioxidant capacity and increased oxidative stress can lead to clouding of the lens.
- Medical risk factors- Diabetes (high blood sugar), hypertension (high BP), surgery like glaucoma, some eye disorders like retina pigmentosa or uveitis.
These could be some common causes & risk factors for developing cataracts, but no worries
Did you know?
When a baby is born with a cataract or develops it during early childhood, it is called a congenital cataract. It can be due to genetics, certain health conditions, infection or trauma before birth.
Treatment
The treatment choice depends upon the degree of opacity sufficient enough to cause difficulty in performing essential daily activities. The following treatment modalities are available
- Surgery: If visual acuity is worse than 6/24 or there is a medical indication (phacolytic glaucoma, phacomorphic glaucoma, retinal detachment) in which a cataract is adversely affecting the health of the eye, surgery is always needed.
- Medical: If visual acuity is 6/24 or better, pupillary dilatation with 2.5% phenylephrine or refractive glasses is enough and surgery is not required.
Cyclopentolate and atropine can also be useful. Recently, there have also been cataract drops under trial, which can dissolve cataracts.
As we came across the treatment options, now let’s move on to understanding the different complications that may arise. Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
Complications
The timing and severity of complications after cataract surgery can vary. Severe side effects could include bruising and oedema of the eyelids, elevated intraocular pressure, and allergic reactions.
They ought to be watched, and medical assistance should be taken if symptoms get worse.
Any time after cataract surgery, posterior capsular opacification (PCO), a common complication, might develop. It influences refraction and the lens matrix. Successful PCO treatment results in rapid visual improvement using YAG laser capsulotomy.
Investigating preventative methods that might be taken to stop cataract development in the first place becomes essential after learning about the possible difficulties associated with cataract surgery.
Did you know?
In a survey conducted by the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey India 2015–2019, cataract was a leading cause of blindness in India (66.2%), with severe vision loss due to untreated cataracts (80.7%) and moderate People with vision impairment (70.2%) were included.
Prevention or lowering the risk of cataracts
Looking to maintain crystal-clear vision? Here are some invaluable ways to prevent cataracts and keep those eyes sparkling!
1. Eat a healthy diet
Research has shown that eating foods that contain the healthy vitamins C and E, and lutein and zeaxanthin, may reduce your risk of cataracts.
Consuming a healthy diet but still confused about what to eat and what to avoid? visit Zyla.in or download the Zyla Health App for nutrient-rich balanced diet.
2. Quit Smoking
Smoking increases free radicals in the eyes, damaging lipids and proteins, leading to cataracts. Consuming antioxidants helps fight free radicals, but smoking can kill them, producing toxins.
Quitting smoking may prevent cataracts, even for long-term smokers.
3. Wear sunglasses
Sunglasses not only look stylish but also protect eyes from harmful UV rays, increasing cataract risk. Choose shades that block out 99% to 100% UVA and UVB rays, filter 75% to 90% visible blue light, and are large enough.
4. Maintain healthy blood sugar level
Diabetes increases the risk of cataracts, particularly in those with uncontrolled blood sugar levels, as high blood sugar levels cause eye lens swelling, resulting in visual distortion and cataract formation.
5. Avoid corticosteroid medications
Long-term use of prednisone and other oral steroids, prescribed for severe allergies, arthritis, and blood disorders, can increase the risk of cataracts due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
But doctors have weighed the benefits and the risks for individual circumstances.
Maintaining clear vision and keeping cataracts at bay is not an unattainable feat. By implementing these five effective strategies into your lifestyle, you can take charge of your eye health and significantly reduce the risk of developing cataracts.
By investing in your eye health today, you can gift yourself a future filled with clear, vibrant vision. Take the first step towards prevention and embrace a lifetime of ocular wellness. Your eyes will thank you for it.
Remember, Zyla Health encourages a proactive approach to eye care, empowering individuals to take charge of their well-being in the most delightful possible way.
We have a team of doctors, nutritionists and other health experts that can provide you with holistic approaches to prevent cataracts. To learn more about the health programs available download the zyla app or go to zyla.in.
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