Prevent Blindness America has declared June as Cataract Awareness Month. The risk of cataract increases with each decade of life, beginning around age 40. By age 75, half of Caucasians have cataracts. By age 80, 70% of Caucasians have cataract, in comparison to 53% of African-Americans and 61% of Hispanics. According to research, cataract is responsible for 51% of world blindness, which represents twenty million people. These numbers are surprising and show the significance of this eye disease. More people need to be aware of Cataract in order to prevent the development of this issue.

A cataract is when the lens of your eye becomes cloudy; this causes light to be blocked from the eye. The lens of your eye is located behind the pupil; the coloured iris is normally transparent. The lens helps the eye focus on images. When the light is block, the eye cannot focus on what it is trying to see. Your vision will become blurry or dim because the light is not passing through your retina. This can become extremely dangerous for yourself and those around you. If you are not able to see properly, you can easily get hurt, damage property, or even accidentally hurt someone else. It is important to know the symptoms, prevention, commonality, risks involved, and the various types of cataracts.

The exact cause for cataract is unknown. Several potential cause include long term exposure to the sun, diabetes, inflammation in the eye, hereditary influences, smoking, eye injuries, or long term steroid use. Symptoms include blurred vision, seeing a milky or yellowish spot in your pupil, and resistance to strong lighting.  Cataracts seem to be directly related to age. As you get older, it becomes more difficult for the old cells in the eye to build and block light. The four types of cataracts include age related, congenital, traumatic, and secondary. They can develop slowly or quickly depending on the type.

Cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness. If not treated, cataracts can lead to blindness. Although getting a cataract is common in older age, it does not necessarily mean that permanent vision is lost. The longer that it is left untreated, the harder it becomes to successfully remove the cataract and restore the patient’s proper vision. One way to protect your vision is regularly take care of your eyes. Make sure you commit yourself to getting dilated eye exams. A comprehensive eye exam can diagnose cataracts and help you, as well as your doctor, determine an effective plan for treatment. We need to protect our future generations from eye diseases, such as cataract.

Cataract Awareness Month causes the public to remember that early detection and treatment of cataracts is extremely important to preserving sight. Prevent Blindness America strives to educate the public about cataracts. The national non-profit group provides free information through its web page prevent blindness.org/cataract

If you notice any changes in your vision, make an appointment with an eye doctor.

Sources:
http://www.who.int/blindness/causes/priority/en/index1.html 
http://www.preventblindness.org/cataract 

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