Get Help Managing Cataracts

A cataract is a common eye disease that takes place when your eyes’ lenses become cloudy. Having cataracts makes you feel like you’re constantly looking through a foggy window. They make it harder to do day-to-day things, like reading or driving.

In the early stages, we can diagnose cataracts and correct them with eyeglasses. But in their most developed form, surgery might be necessary. Since cataracts tend to form over years, routine eye exams are the best way to spot cataracts early and address them. Come see us at Smithfield Eye & Optical to have your cataracts assessed and treated the right way.

How Does a Cataract Form?

Our eye has a natural lens behind the iris, which is the colored part of your eye. As you age, the proteins in these lenses can break down and clump up. This is very similar to scar tissue, as it happens when your lens cells die and get replaced by new cells.

As you age, more and more cells get replaced by new ones, and imperfections can take place. These imperfections are the spots of protein that we call cataracts.

Contributions and Concerns

A Cloudy Forecast

You are naturally prone to developing cataracts as part of the aging process, but other factors can play key roles. Some of the factors that may contribute to cataract development are:

Overexposure to sunlight
Smoking
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Obesity
Family history of cataracts

Preventing Cataracts

Cataracts are a natural and very common occurrence. But that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to develop them as part of the aging process.

If you keep a healthy diet, don’t smoke, and wear sunglasses that filter 99% of UVA & UVB rays, your risk for developing cataracts will drop. Scheduling annual routine eye exams lets our eye doctors know when it’s time to treat cataracts.

Children & Cataracts

Cataracts are often age-related, but they aren’t exclusive to older people. Cataracts can develop at any age, even in children. They may be present from birth or develop as a byproduct of other diseases or physical trauma.

Children need age-appropriate eye examinations while growing up to monitor their ocular development, and this includes looking for cataracts. Smithfield Eye & Optical doctors survey a child’s lens during their exam to make sure their vision is clear.

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