Is cataract related to indiscriminate use of eye drops? Experts reveal the 4 major causes, symptoms and preventive diet of cataracts!
What causes cataracts? The four most common culprits of crystal lesions
The eyes are the windows to the soul. After entering middle age and old age, the eyes may undergo various changes, including cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, dry eye syndrome, floaters, presbyopia, etc. Among them, the incidence rate of cataracts in people over 50 years old is close to 60%, and it is as high as 80%-90% in people over 60 years old. At present, senile cataract is the most common clinically, and some babies will have congenital cataract. In addition, when the eyes suffer injuries such as impact, high heat, chemical burns, etc., the lens may also be injured. Long-term use of certain steroid drugs and eye lesions caused by diabetes may cause concurrent cataracts.
Under normal circumstances, after the light source enters the eye through the cornea and lens, it focuses on the retina to form a clear image. However, as the lens increases with age, the water and protein in the lens begin to condense, denature, and form an opaque substance. The crystalline lens gradually becomes turbid, so that the incoming light source is reduced, and the turbid crystalline lens cannot focus properly on the retina, resulting in out-of-focus and blurred images, which is medically called cataract.
Why are older people more likely to develop cataracts? In fact, the eye is like a camera. Light is refracted by the corneal lens and projected onto the retina to form an image signal. The human body has its own antioxidant system that protects cells from light damage.
However, after a certain age, organ function begins to age, and the degree of aging depends on the amount of free radicals. When one’s own ability to resist light is not enough, when going out without wearing suitable sunglasses, and combined with other risks such as excessive direct light exposure, it may lead to lens lesions.
Cataract-prone groups? Does applying eye drops randomly the day after tomorrow increase the risk?
Occupations that are frequently exposed to the sun, such as drivers, outdoor salespeople, farmers, people who work in the snow or on the coast, especially in hot summer when the sun is strong, the sunlight will be refracted through the glass, and without any protective measures, cataracts will occur. The chances will be relatively higher. Therefore, these groups are advised to wear special sunglasses to protect against strong light.
Of course, the occurrence of cataracts involves personal constitution and family genetic inheritance. Under the same conditions, some people do have a slightly higher degree of resistance to sunlight. As for the indiscriminate use of eye drops the day after tomorrow, taking steroid drugs, and in recent years, there have been cases of high myopia. The quadrupling of concurrent cataracts shows that controlling vision and avoiding excessive use of the eyes is also something that needs attention.
What are the symptoms of cataracts? Should you be careful because the street lights are too dazzling at night?
When cataracts begin to appear in the eyes, the image will be blurred no matter how far or near, and it cannot be improved even if you wear glasses. In addition, when looking at things, there will be overlapping images, afterimages, and a layer of gray. Because the eyes cannot see clearly, they need to focus harder, so the eyes of cataract patients are more susceptible to fatigue. In addition, the crystalline lens is not only cloudy but also discolored, affecting the visual color of the cataract. Especially when driving at night, it will be particularly dazzling to street lights or car lights.
How are cataracts treated? Will blurry vision after surgery require another surgery?
To date, cataract surgery remains the single most effective treatment. The turbid crystalline lens is removed under microsurgery and replaced with an artificial lens. After cutting with a diamond knife or laser, use tweezers to open the membrane at the front of the lens, and then use an ultrasonic emulsifier to remove the turbid crystalline lens in the middle. Finally, an artificial lens is implanted.
Due to advances in technology, patients have small surgical wounds and usually do not need to be hospitalized for recuperation. The wounds will heal on their own within a day or two after going home. As for artificial lenses, there are types that are covered by health insurance and those that require additional price difference. The materials and designs vary between single focus and multifocal, and spherical and aspherical lenses. Finally, it is divided into whether there are yellow lenses and astigmatism lenses. If you want your vision to be able to maintain far, medium, and near depth of field, you can choose multifocal lenses with diffraction circles.
Clinically, it will be based on whether it affects the patient’s life and the degree of blurred vision. Under normal circumstances, those whose visual acuity is less than 0.5 can consider surgical treatment. If you need to use your eyes a lot for a long time, such as drivers and drivers, it will be recommended to deal with the cataract problem as soon as possible. Otherwise, cataracts may affect the treatment of other eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, etc.
After the new lens is inserted, the outer capsule may be affected by other factors, such as scar reaction caused by surgical trauma, which may lead to fibrosis, causing the patient to have blurred vision a few months after the surgery. This is usually not necessary at this time. If surgery is performed again, or the fibrotic part is opened using a chromium laser, the patient’s condition will be improved.
How to prevent cataracts? Which diets best help with antioxidants?
Long-term ultraviolet rays passing through the eyeballs will cause the eyes to absorb a large amount of ultraviolet rays, causing the content of insoluble fibrin in the lens to gradually increase, which will lead to lens lesions. Therefore, it is recommended that people, especially the elderly, be sure to wear hats and sunglasses when going out in strong sunlight. Wear glasses to protect against ultraviolet rays. It is recommended to eat a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables to ensure adequate intake of lutein and zeaxanthin.
To prevent the occurrence of cataracts, it is recommended to consume more natural antioxidants such as anthocyanins, lutein, vitamin A, and vitamin B complex in your daily diet. In terms of health food supplements, since cataracts are mainly related to lens lesions, it is recommended to supplement astaxanthin and anthocyanins. If you need eye care, you can go to the pharmacy to inquire about suitable high-concentration astaxanthin.
The properties of astaxanthin can pass through the “BBB blood-brain barrier” and “BRB blood-retinal barrier” to reach the Fovea position in the center of the retina and macula, acting on the cone cells that affect imaging. Daily supplementation of 4-12 mg of astaxanthin is equivalent to virtually helping your eyes wear contact sunglasses. In addition, astaxanthin’s significant antioxidant effect not only helps with eye health, but also protects 60 trillion cells in the body, reducing free radical damage to important organs, including the eyes.
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