Everyone develops age-related clouding of the lens, also known as cataracts, which is the most common cause of progressive blurry vision and the leading cause of blindness globally, and more prevalent in people over 40 years old. Over 20 million people are surgically treated for cataracts every year in America alone yet the general population have many misconceptions about the condition. Here are a few myth busters to shed some light on some common misunderstandings.
Cataracts can be prevented or reversed.
As with most things involving aging, cataracts are inevitable. Fortunately, it can be stalled. It is recommended to use UV-protection sunglasses, maintaining healthy diet, and even nutritional supplements. Research is currently under way to develop eye drops that may potentially reverse cataracts, but it will be a while before it becomes available as it still needs to be tested for toxicity and effects on humans.
Only old people get cataracts!
It’s true that cataracts are commonly age-related, but most are not noticeable in their early stages, in our 40s and 50s, and do not become symptomatic until many years later. Cataracts can also be advanced by trauma, such as eye injury or surgery, and other conditions like glaucoma, long-term use of steroid nasal spray, even smoking and diabetes.
Cataracts can recur.
Although cataracts is a slow progression of blurry vision that many can mistake for a film over the eyes or attribute it to dirty or scratched glasses, it is a clouding of the clear, transparent, crystalline lens in the middle of the eyeball directly behind the iris (the color of the eye) and visible through the pupil (the dark center of the eye) under magnification on the slit lamp. After surgically removing the original lens that has become foggy, the lens does not grow back like the lizard’s tail and, therefore, cataracts cannot develop again.
Surgery must be performed immediately to treat cataracts.
Although cataracts may progress to become debilitating, they are unlike cancer and are not medical emergencies. Often times, surgical intervention can be held off until they become symptomatic and interfering with activities of daily living or quality of life. Meanwhile, vision mildly affected by cataracts can be slightly improved with new prescription eyeglasses, improved lighting conditions, anti-glare glasses or sunglasses, or higher magnification readers. Surgery is currently the only effective treatment for cataracts and the timing of it is best consulted with your ophthalmologist.
Cataract surgery is long, risky and painful.
As it is one of the most frequently performed operation that is safe and highly perfected and is continuously improved with technological advances and modernized technique, cataract surgery is now a 10-minute out-patient procedure performed under topical and local anesthesia. It has a 95% success rate that involves micro-incisions for minimal trauma and no sutures. Although there are risks involved with cataract surgery just as they exist for any surgery, such risks are infrequent and more common with pre-existing or underlying conditions. The pros and cons of surgery should be discussed with your ophthalmologist to weigh its necessity and assess the risk to benefit.
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