By the age of 80, you have a 50 percent chance of developing cataracts. If you are unaware of how cataracts can affect your vision, it is when your lens that is normally clear becomes clouded. When you are dealing with cataracts it will cause your vision to blur, making it difficult to complete your daily activities. If you are experiencing this it is important to get it checked out right away because if left untreated cataracts can lead to blindness. Those are the basics facts about cataracts, but what are some facts you haven’t heard before? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Here are 3 facts that you probably didn’t know about cataracts.
When you first start developing cataracts, they may only affect a small portion of your lens, making you unaware of the vision loss that you are incurring. As the cataract increases in size, so will your vision impairment. As the cataract continues to grow and disrupt your vision you may start to experience some of the following symptoms:
- The blurring of vision.
- Glare, or sensitivity to light.
- Double vision in one eye.
- Frequent changes in eyeglass prescription.
- Difficulty in reading in low light.
- Declining night vision.
- Fading or yellowing of colors.
As always – If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, it is important to take the first step and schedule an appointment to get your eyes and vision checked out.
Currently, cataracts are very common and affect 22 million people in the United States that are above the age of 40. As you continue to age, your chances of developing cataracts continue to rise, with no known way to prevent their formation it is important to make sure that you are getting your eyes checked regularly. Worldwide, there are more cases of cataracts than there are cases of macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy combined – according to Prevent Blindness America (PBA).
