June is Cataract Awareness Month
Cataracts are one of the world’s leading causes of preventable blindness. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has declared June is Fireworks Eye Safety and Cataract Awareness Month. Cataract accounts for more than forty percent of all cases of blindness worldwide. The number of cataract cases is projected to increase as the population continues to age. A cataract is treated through surgical intervention. It leads to blindness in case it was not treated. The surgery becomes difficult and the success of the surgery and the chances of restoring high vision after the surgery are reduced if the cataract is left untreated longer than a certain period.
Cataracts do not show redness or feel pain. They are characterized by clouding of the eye’s crystalline lens altering and blocking light to getting into the eye to the retina and resulting in a blurred Vision. Surgery is the only treatment for cataracts, it is one of the safest and effective eye surgeries, and it consists of replacing the crystalline lens with an artificial lens called an implant or intra-ocular or lens.
Congenital cataracts are rare conditions where babies are born with cataracts that can be due to infections during pregnancy. Smoking doubles the risk of developing nuclear sclerotic cataracts and triples the risk of subcapsular cataracts. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun increases cataract development. UV light penetration into the eye is a significant influential factor in the creation of cataracts. Aged people develop cataracts, however, young adults too can develop cataracts due to Heredity, disease, certain medications, and eye injuries. Wearing proper eye protection can prevent many types of injury-related cataracts. Choosing a healthy lifestyle and not smoking can slow the progression of cataracts. However, age-related cataracts are not preventable.
During June, the AAO reminds eye care providers and the public of the early detection and treatment of cataracts for the purpose of restoring high visual acuity after the surgery.