What Are Some Ways to Manage Early Cataracts?
Do you associate cataracts with older people? Although cataracts are often age-related, they may develop at a younger age in some people. Learning about ways to manage your condition and slow the progression of cataracts can be helpful if you've been diagnosed with early cataracts.
What Are Early Cataracts?
Cataracts affect the clear lens located inside the eye behind your iris. The lens, along with the cornea, focuses light on the retina at the back of the eye. The cornea is the clear, round tissue covering your iris. Once light reaches the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye converts it to impulses, which are processed by the brain.
Early cataracts happen before age 60, long before you expect to face vision problems. Cataracts happen when proteins in the lens break down and clump together, causing the lens to thicken and become cloudy. These changes may occur as early as your 40s, according to the National Eye Institute.
Cataracts block some light from reaching the retina, making it difficult for the brain to create clear images. Although you may not notice any changes in your vision initially, symptoms of cataracts include:
- Cloudy or Blurry Vision
- Double Vision
- Faded or Yellowed Colors
- Increased Sensitivity to Light and Glare
- Halos Around Lights, Particularly at Night
- Trouble Seeing Well in Dim Conditions or at Night
- Frequent Changes to Your Vision Prescription
What Causes Early Cataracts?
The cause of early cataracts isn't always clear, although these factors may increase your risk:
- A Family History of Early Cataracts
- Eye Injuries
- Eye Surgery
- Radiation Treatment
- Corticosteroid Use
- Sun Exposure
- Exposure to Air Pollution or Toxic Chemicals
- Smoking
- Substance or Alcohol Abuse
Diabetes may also increase your risk for early cataracts. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), structural changes in the lens caused by high blood sugar may speed the development of cataracts. The ADA notes that your risk depends on how long you've had diabetes, how well-controlled the disease is, and whether or not you have macular edema. Macular edema occurs when fluid builds up in the center part of the retina.
What Can Be Done About Early Cataracts?
If you're diagnosed with early cataracts, your ophthalmologist can recommend strategies that will help you manage the condition, including:
- Updating Your Eyeglass or Contact Lens Prescription: You may need more frequent changes to your prescription if you have early cataracts.
- Improving Lighting. Adding more lights or using light bulbs with higher wattages makes it easier to see at night or in dim light.
- Wearing Sunglasses. Cataracts may worsen faster if you're exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) light from the sun. Sunglasses that offer UVA and UVB protection could help slow the progression of your cataracts if you wear the glasses year-round. Adding an anti-glare coating to sunglasses improves eye comfort on sunny days.
- Lifestyle Changes. Quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, reducing the amount of alcohol you use, keeping your blood sugar under control, and getting help for substance use disorders might also slow the progression of early cataracts.
When Is Surgery Needed?
Surgery may be recommended if your cataracts make it difficult to do everyday things, like reading and driving. Your cloudy lens is replaced with an intraocular lens implant (IOL) during cataract surgery. IOLs work just like natural lenses and restore clear vision. The lens implants can also be used to correct refractive errors, like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Your ophthalmologist offers several types of IOLs to replace your natural lenses. Monofocal IOL lenses provide clear vision at one distance, such as near or far. Toric multifocal lenses correct vision for astigmatism, a refractive error that causes blurry vision at all distances.
Multifocal lenses, accommodative lenses, and extended depth-of-focus lenses can provide sharp vision for near, far and intermediate distances. These lenses may be a good option if you're nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism and don't want to rely on eyeglasses.
Need help managing your early cataracts? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the ophthalmologist.
Sources:
National Eye Institute: Cataracts, 12/10/2024
https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/cataracts
American Diabetes Association: Curious About Cataracts
https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/eye-health/curious-about-cataracts
Healthline: Early Cataracts: What to Know If You Have Early Cataracts, 10/15/2020
https://www.healthline.com/health/early-cataracts#outlook
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Cataract Surgery: Risks, Recovery, Costs, 10/9/2024
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-cataract-surgery