Your eyes help you through every day. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to find your clothes in the morning, make sure they match, or read the newspaper. Your entire daily routine would have to be rethought in order for your to keep functioning normally. Cataracts can create this break in routine.
The cloudy tissue that develops through the clear lens of your eye is known as a cataract. Although painless, cataracts can cause a total loss of vision. While it is normal for people over the age of 65 to begin to develop cataracts and have slight losses of vision, younger people can develop them too. Injury, certain medications, and some illnesses can cause an early formation of cataracts. Opthalmologists have found that smokers also have a higher risk to develop them than non-smokers.
Although cataract development is painless, here are some signs that you need to see your ophthalmologist:
* blurred or hazy vision
* double vision
* poor vision in bright light
* seeing halos around lights
* yellow-tinged vision
* difficulty seeing at night
These are sure signs that your future may hold a visit to a group of cataract surgeons. In Austin, this would not be difficult. There are many surgeons located in or around the city of Austin. Cataract surgery is proclaimed to be one of safest and most successful procedures performed today and is a generally simple, outpatient procedure with little discomfort. Most patients can return home the same day of the surgery. After just a few days, many patients will return to their daily routines.
OTHER CAUSES
For the young, there are other causes of cataracts. Injury is one. A blow directly to the eye, the eye socket, or an injury to the eye lens can create traumatic cataracts. Although they aren’t instantaneous, traumatic cataracts can show themselves years down the line due to injury. A black eye today can lead to a cataract in three years.
Another type of cataract is caused by the continued use of certain medications or oral steroids. Tamoxifen is used to treat breast cancer and is linked to cataracts. Allopurinol and other gout treatments can also cause this vision loss. Another is medication for the treatment of an irregular heartbeat, such as amiadorone.
Illnesses can also cause cataracts. Diabetes can cause many eye related illnesses. A regular eye doctor is must have for someone who is diabetic. Eye doctors in Austinrecommend regular checkups to monitor for diabetic eye disease so that any signs can be caught quickly to help reduce the chance that you may lose your vision. High blood sugar increases the risk of diabetic eye problems. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 20 years to 74 years.
Eyesight is a special gift that is normally taken for granted. We have never had to live without our eyes so we assume we will never have to. This is not true. Cataracts and eventual blindness can develop at any age. Regular checkups and protecting your eyes can go a long way in ensuring sight for the future.
Broberg Eye Care
207 James Casey St # 305
Austin, TX 78745-1193
(512) 447-6096
