For many elderly people, having cataracts is an incredibly limiting experience.
A cataract is a cloud that forms across the lens of the eye, and can vary in severity from very slight to causing the sufferer to have no sight, and therefore can lead to the person with the cataracts going completely blind if they are not treated. Cataracts usually affect both eyes, hence although the word cataract is singular; it is usually referred to as cataracts because they generally come in pairs. The normal case is for one eye to get a cataract first followed by the second one at a later point.
It always used to be the case that doctors would wait until a cataract was “ripe” before carrying out an operation on the patient’s eyes to remove the cataract. However, it is now felt that the operation can be carried out at any point, although it is best to wait until the cataract is causing problems with vision before carrying it out as the operation still carries some risk. Saying that, it is an operation that is carried out under local anaesthetic, and the patient is allowed to go home the same day.
Despite this relatively simple operation, according to the World Health Organisation, age-related cataract is the cause of 48% of blindness in the world, an incredible 18million people. Cataracts are therefore the leading cause of blindness in the world. It is a sad fact that in many countries surgery is not advanced enough to be able to remove cataracts, and that is why millions of people are left without sight, without being able to see their loved ones, family and friends again because cataracts have made them totally blind. Unsurprisingly, it is the poorest countries as always that suffer the most, and therefire almost all of Africa is the worst effected by blindness through cataracts, with large numbers also in Indonesia, South East Asia, the Middle East, and to a less extent in India and Central America. As with most types of illnesses, the more elderly the population gets, the higher the number of people suffering with cataracts. It is also thought that the destruction of the ozone layer will lead to more ultraviolet radiation, leading to more cases of cataracts in the following years.
It is particularly sad that cataracts have blighted so many millions of peoples of lives, because they are so easily operated on, and even if surgery isn’t available there are other forms of medication out there that have been developed that can reduce the impact of cataracts if not cure them altogether. Eye drops containing N-Acetylcarnosine have been clinically proven to treat and reverse cataracts. Two drops, twice a day for six months sooths and improves vision without surgery. It is when you read cases like this that you realise the importance of science, research and discovery, and think about how something like this can change the lives of so many millions of people.
A cataract is a cloud that forms across the lens of the eye, and can vary in severity from very slight to causing the sufferer to have no sight, and therefore can lead to the person with the cataracts going completely blind if they are not treated. Cataracts usually affect both eyes, hence although the word cataract is singular; it is usually referred to as cataracts because they generally come in pairs. The normal case is for one eye to get a cataract first followed by the second one at a later point.
It always used to be the case that doctors would wait until a cataract was “ripe” before carrying out an operation on the patient’s eyes to remove the cataract. However, it is now felt that the operation can be carried out at any point, although it is best to wait until the cataract is causing problems with vision before carrying it out as the operation still carries some risk. Saying that, it is an operation that is carried out under local anaesthetic, and the patient is allowed to go home the same day.
Despite this relatively simple operation, according to the World Health Organisation, age-related cataract is the cause of 48% of blindness in the world, an incredible 18million people. Cataracts are therefore the leading cause of blindness in the world. It is a sad fact that in many countries surgery is not advanced enough to be able to remove cataracts, and that is why millions of people are left without sight, without being able to see their loved ones, family and friends again because cataracts have made them totally blind. Unsurprisingly, it is the poorest countries as always that suffer the most, and therefire almost all of Africa is the worst effected by blindness through cataracts, with large numbers also in Indonesia, South East Asia, the Middle East, and to a less extent in India and Central America. As with most types of illnesses, the more elderly the population gets, the higher the number of people suffering with cataracts. It is also thought that the destruction of the ozone layer will lead to more ultraviolet radiation, leading to more cases of cataracts in the following years.
It is particularly sad that cataracts have blighted so many millions of peoples of lives, because they are so easily operated on, and even if surgery isn’t available there are other forms of medication out there that have been developed that can reduce the impact of cataracts if not cure them altogether. Eye drops containing N-Acetylcarnosine have been clinically proven to treat and reverse cataracts. Two drops, twice a day for six months sooths and improves vision without surgery. It is when you read cases like this that you realise the importance of science, research and discovery, and think about how something like this can change the lives of so many millions of people.
RSS Feed