Are Cataracts Inevitable As I Age?

Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss among Americans, especially as you get older. But this doesn't necessarily mean that this common eye disease is going to be a part of your future.

It’s little wonder why people might think that cataracts are an inevitable part of aging, given that this eye disease is the leading cause of vision loss around the globe and here at home in the United States. In fact, more than 20.5 million Americans over the age of 40 have cataracts.

Cataracts are progressive, which is why they’re linked to aging. And while cataracts are certainly common, they’re definitely not a foregone conclusion.

As part of the wide range of services that we offer here at LaSante Health Center, we specialize in optometry and eye health, so we know a thing or two about cataracts. We want to share some of what we know here. Let’s take a look.

What happens when you have cataracts

When you have cataracts, the lenses in your eyes gradually cloud over, making it increasingly difficult to see. It’s like you’re trying to look through a dirty window.

This clouding occurs when proteins in your lenses (your lenses are mostly made up of proteins) begin to break down and clump together. In the early stages, you might not notice that this is happening, but over time, you might develop:

Cloudy or blurry vision
A dulling of color
Trouble with light sensitivity and glare
Difficulty seeing at night
Double vision

Another sign is that every time you come to see us for an eye exam, we need to strengthen your prescription lenses.

Factors that place you at risk for cataracts

Age is, far and away, the leading risk factor for cataracts. Many people start to develop cataracts around the age of 50, but only really notice the symptoms around 70 years of age.

This doesn’t mean that your course is set and that you should expect vision loss due to cataracts.

There are other factors associated with cataracts, which include:

Prolonged exposure to the sun
Smoking
Diabetes
History of radiation therapy
Environmental pollutants

And we should also add genetics to the list. If you have a strong family history of cataracts, you may be more vulnerable.

Preventing or delaying cataracts

As you can see from the list of risk factors above, there are steps that you can take to lower your risks for cataracts, such as quitting smoking, wearing sunglasses, and managing conditions like diabetes.

We also recommend that you keep up with your regular eye exams with us, because we can detect the earliest signs of clouding in your lenses. This allows us time to slow the progression of the disease by protecting your eyes.

There is a great solution for cataracts

Should your cataracts start to really interfere with your vision, the good news is that there’s an excellent solution — cataract surgery. During this outpatient procedure, the surgeon removes your cloudy lenses and replaces them with clear intraocular lenses.

While our team doesn't perform this surgery, we can point you in the right direction and comanage your surgical journey, providing expert care before and after your cataract surgery.

If you have more questions about cataracts or you suspect you might be developing this common vision issue, book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, office at 718-246-5700 to schedule an optometry appointment.

We serve the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.