Cataract Causes

You might’ve heard that cataracts blight everyone at some point in their life. While this is, indeed, true, did you know that some proven factors can hasten their onset? As in every area of our health, lifestyle choices play a significant role in when age-related cataracts might begin to form.Knowledge is key to understanding what we must (and must not) do to stave off the inevitability of cataracts. The following is a go-to guide to cataract causes—and the steps you can do to prevent them from forming a single moment before they should…

Cataract Causes (and what you can do to slow their onset)

A list of cataract causesThe simple lifestyle changes to reduce cataracts (& improve your overall health too)

A list of cataract causes

OK, so while we know that cataracts are an inevitable consequence of advanced aging, there are plenty of things that have been proven to hasten their onset. These include:

• Smoking
• Poor diet
• Excessive exposure to UV rays
• Obesity
• Excessive drinking
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Previous eye trauma
• Previous eye surgery
• Previous eye inflammation
• Extended use of corticosteroids

Now, some of these you have no control over, such as an accident that causes trauma to the eyes or having an autoimmune condition that requires you to use long-term steroids. But we can have a dramatic effect on many of these risk factors—it’s simply a choice about whether or not to action them.

The simple lifestyle changes to reduce cataracts (& improve your overall health too)

Let’s look at the steps we can take to reduce the risk of early-onset cataracts developing.

• Protect the eyes from excessive UV light: This is the easiest step of all and can have a dramatic effect. Quite simply, invest in a good quality pair of sunglasses and wear them when you’re outside in the daylight. You can also wear a peaked cap or visor to further shield your eyes. Don’t forget that harmful light can also come from activities, such as welding, that should always be carried out wearing suitable eyewear. Sunglasses are even more important in reflective environments, such as on the snow or out on the water.
• Eat a healthy diet: This should include plenty of fruit and veg—including dark leafy greens. Reduce your intake of processed foods, swapping them for those as close to their natural state as possible.
• Increase your intake of antioxidants: Green tea, dark chocolate (within reason), beans, kale, red cabbage, blueberries, raspberries… Many foods are high in these beneficial substances.
• Reduce alcohol intake: Keeping within or below the recommended units per week.
• Quit smoking: In short, the most beneficial action you can take for whole body health, as well as cataract risk. Speak to your healthcare provider for information on the many different levels of help available.
• Manage any health problems: Control diabetes, reduce hypertension (with lifestyle changes, medication, or a combination of the two), and keep your weight within normal levels.
• Have regular eye examinations: Another easy step to great eye health. These will diagnose cataracts and other problems at their earliest stages. Your ophthalmologist will advise the optimal schedule, dependent on your age, medical history, and other eye conditions.

From Cataract Causes to Cataract Surgery: Contact the Experts at the WBEC

The West Boca Eye Center is known across the world as being an outstanding medical facility for every area of eye health. Lead clinician, Brent Bellotte MD., plays a pivotal role in the global advancement of laser vision correction and cataract surgery. This means that his Boca Raton-based, academic-grade clinic can offer the very latest techniques and IOLs to their patients—often before they become more widely available across the country.Head to https://westbocaeyecenter.com/services/cataract-surgery/ for more information and call today to chat with our friendly team.