Grandpa Norman had cataracts, Grandma Joan had cataracts, your mom is booked in for cataract surgery next week, and we all know about Uncle Chester who got struck by lightning and somehow survived but developed cataracts within the month. In all likelihood, you know at least one person who has cataracts, or who had cataracts, so cataracts must be a pretty common occurrence. But what causes them, exactly?
In all likelihood, you’ve heard of cataracts before. Depending on how well-versed you are in the field of ophthalmology, the mention of cataracts may elicit no reaction or may trigger a fear of impending blindness. The good news is that cataracts are not usually associated with permanent blindness. The bad news is that cataracts are a normal part of aging, so if you live long enough, you can probably expect to develop them at some point.
It’s estimated that 100,000 people suffer a sports-related eye injury each year with 30,000 of them being treated in emergency rooms.
When it comes to contact sports and sports involving projectiles (such as baseballs), eyes can often end up taking the hit. In fact, baseball is one of the top causes of eye injuries amongst children 14 years and under. Even among professional athletes, baseball is right up there on the list of causing serious eye injuries in sport. Other infamous sports for eye injuries are hockey and basketball.
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With dementia affecting almost 6 million people in the US, it wouldn’t be unexpected that you may personally know of someone affected by dementia. The term dementia describes a group of conditions involving impaired cognitive abilities that interfere with daily tasks. The World Health Organization identifies dementia as a global public health priority due to its significant impact not only on the people experiencing dementia, but also on their surrounding communities. In the US, dementia costs the economy over $600 billion every year.
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You’re feeling a bit blurry, your vision is going in and out of focus… you think you’re getting some double vision… Do you need new glasses? Or could it be that you just had one too many glasses – of wine?
Around the world, about 117 billion gallons of alcoholic beverages are consumed each year. In the US, beer is the drink of choice, followed by spirits and wine. However, while a tipple or two at a party is generally considered socially acceptable, a number of Americans rely on having a bottle in hand for a bit more than just to look cool or to wet their lips. In 2019, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated around 14.5 million US residents were living with an alcohol addiction.
While the full effects of alcoholism are beyond the scope of this particular article, there are some interesting facts to know about the effect alcohol has on eyes.
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Cataract surgery is typically a straightforward, uncomplicated procedure. Because cataracts are considered a normal part of aging and our expected lifespans are increasing with advances in medicine, the number of cataract surgeries performed every year in the US is approaching the 4 million mark. That’s a lot of cataract extractions.
A cataract is an opacity in the lens of the eye. Usually this lens is clear and transparent so that light can easily pass through to reach the back of the eye to form vision. Various factors can underlie the development of a cataract – age is the main one, but other factors such as environment, lifestyle choices, certain medications, systemic diseases, and trauma, can also contribute to the formation of a cataract in the eye.
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The mention of cataracts can cause a bit of a heart palpitation for some people, particularly older ones who have family members who supposedly went blind from the condition. However, cataracts are as expected as wrinkles and white hairs – they are a normal part of aging. Over 24 million Americans aged over 40 have some degree of cataract; in the state of California over 16% of the population have a cataract in one or both eyes, which means more than 6 million Californians are walking around with a cataract, probably in addition to a few wrinkles and white hairs.
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The success rate of cataract surgery in the developed world is typically quoted as 98% or higher. However, as with any procedure performed on the complex human body, things can go wrong. Approximately 0.5% of patients undergoing cataract surgery experience a severe complication with significant visual impact; in the USA with around 2-3 million surgeries performed every year, this represents up to 15 000 patients with vision loss following what should be a sight-restoring procedure. Although a 98% success rate is pretty good, it’s important not to go into cataract surgery “blind” to the potential complications.
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So, you’ve decided that it’s time to have your cataracts removed. This became clear after you mistook Joan’s roaming pet rabbit for the bowl during your weekly casual game of lawn bowls; unfortunately, due to your cataracts this is currently the only thing that is clear. A brief foray into the world wide web using the search term “cataract surgery” quickly makes evident that while the surgical procedure itself is exceedingly common and relatively straightforward, there are a few decisions to be made – for example, whether you go with FLACS or phaco, and which IOL option is best for you, whatever these words mean!
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Putting a knife to the eye sounds pretty horrific, like some sort of method of “enhanced interrogation.” In fact, the eyeball is such a sensitive, squeamish part of the body that there are even websites listing horror movies with the worst eyeball-involving scenes (Google it!). Ommetaphobia aside, a scalpel in the right hands can provide sight-restoring, quality-of-life-redeeming treatment to an eye affected by cataract.
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When it comes to parts of your eyeball, you generally don’t want things to detach. Usually, attached is a better situation. …
Grandpa Norman had cataracts, Grandma Joan had cataracts, your mom is booked in for cataract surgery next week, and we all …
In all likelihood, you’ve heard of cataracts before. Depending on how well-versed you are in the field of ophthalmology, …
