Your eyes are incredibly important, so if your vision gets blurry, you may start to worry about the future of your eye health. Besides nearsightedness or farsightedness, many patients develop cataracts, which can lead to severe vision impairment or blindness. If you would like to know more, keep reading.

What Are Cataracts?

Your eye has a lens through which light passes. This light translates vision into your optic nerve, giving you a clear image of the world. However, as the lens ages, it may start to develop clouding or cataracts. In most cases, you can see cataracts as a white discolor inside the pupil.

At first, symptoms may seem mild and easily corrected with glasses. However, as the lens becomes more blocked, less light enters, making it harder to clearly see the world. Depending on the patient, cataracts can also make images seem dulled or yellowed, and/or they may cause distortion or ghost images. Other symptoms may include:

• Increased difficulty with vision at night
• Sensitivity to light
• Seeing halos around lights
• Double vision

Can You Prevent Cataracts?

Unfortunately, getting older is a major risk factor for developing cataracts, but there are ways you can reduce your risk. Start by eating a healthy diet to avoid health conditions like diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

When you go outside, make sure to wear sunglasses with UV ray blocking. Make sure to protect your eyes from trauma as previous eye injury or surgery can increase the risk of cataracts. Finally, cut out bad habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

How Are Cataracts Treated?

The only real way to treat cataracts is with surgery. During surgery, the surgeon uses a laser to cut away the clouded lens. They replace it with an artificial one that works just like a natural lens. After surgery, you should immediately start to see clearly, but it may some time for your eyes to fully heal and recover.

Some patients can get rid of their glasses after surgery, but if you are farsighted or nearsighted, cataract surgery won't correct it. The procedure is common, safe, and usually performed as an outpatient procedure.

Many Americans develop cataracts. Luckily, there are treatments to get rid of them once and for all, so you can regain your vision. Even if you've had cataracts for years, surgery can restore your vision. If you would like to know more, contact an optometrist in your area today.

For more information, contact a company such as Sabates Eye Centers.