Cataracts are a common, highly treatable eye condition and are the leading cause for blindness worldwide. Because they often grow slowly, their symptoms can be easy to miss. Your eye doctor will check for early signs during your annual exam, but in the meantime, here’s some information about the condition to help you stay aware.

A Guide to Understanding Cataracts

What Causes Them?

Typically, cataracts are caused by natural aging or injury, which alters the tissue of the eye’s lens. A combination of lifestyle and environmental factors can also play a role in a person’s risk for developing the condition. For instance, inherited genetic disorders, health problems, and other eye conditions can lead to a higher likelihood of cataract development. Excessive alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, obesity, and excessive sunlight exposure can also be contributing factors.

What Are the Symptoms?

Indications may include clouded or dim vision, sensitivity to light, seeing halos, double vision of a single eye, and difficulty seeing at night. Initially, the cloudiness in your vision may only impact a small portion of your eye’s lens, which you might not notice. As the cataract grows in size, it can distort more of the light that passes through your eye. This contributes to more obvious symptoms of the condition.

How Are They Treated?

Early symptoms may be improved with brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, and new prescriptions. If this doesn’t help, your eye doctor may recommend surgery, especially if vision loss interferes with your everyday activities. The procedure involves removing the distorted cloudy lens and substituting it with an artificial lens. There is no rush for surgery, though the condition will worsen the longer it is left unaddressed.

If you suspect you could have cataracts and are interested in exploring treatment options, contact MidWest Eye Center: A Division of TriState Centers for Sight. Serving the Greater Cincinnati area and northern Kentucky, these doctors specialize in all types of eye care and offer cataract surgery to help their patients see clearly once again. Set up a consultation by calling (859) 525-6215, or learn more about their treatments online.