The main reason for the development of cataracts is age. The incidence of cataracts increases dramatically in patients over 60 years of age. Age-related cataracts are sometimes also called blueness or senile cataracts.
But age is not the only reason for the development of cataracts. Cataracts can develop as a result of injury to the eye, usually either after a severe injury or after foreign bodies have entered the eye. Such a cataract is called traumatic.
Also, after some surgical procedures, for example, an operation on the retina, the risks of cataract also increase significantly, and that is why retinal operations are often combined with the removal of the lens with the replacement of the lens of the eye with an intraocular lens - IOL.
Diabetes mellitus is also a high-risk factor for developing cataracts.
A person with diabetes increases the risk of developing cataracts by 25 percent.
Another factor that significantly affects the development of cataracts and increases the risks is prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation. It has been observed that people who spend a lot of time in the sun, especially on the water, such as professional fishermen, develop cataracts much earlier and in a greater percentage of cases than people who do not spend as much time on the water. This is due to the fact that sunlight that enters the eyes is reflected from the water and a person receives, relatively speaking, a double portion of ultraviolet radiation: from above from the sun and reflected ultraviolet from below.
Therefore, the use of good UV-protective sunglasses is essential for being outdoors!
It should also be noted that the effect of certain drugs, especially long-term systemic intake of medications such as steroid hormones, significantly increases the risks and reduces the age at which cataracts appear.
But the main factor in the appearance of cataracts is still age, and these are the so-called oxidative or oxidative processes in our body.
Now, knowing the reasons for the development of cataracts, let's figure out if we can somehow influence these processes and slow down or delay the appearance of cataracts in our eyes?
Read about this in the next publication - how to reduce the risk of cataracts.
But know for sure that the treatment of cataracts today is possible only by surgery. The lens damaged by the cataract is removed and an artificial lens, so-called intraocular lens (IOL) is implanted. The IOL is implanted once for the entire life of a person. And how a person with a new lens will see, depends on the condition of the eyes, and in many respects on the type of intraocular lens, and specifically on the selected IOL model.
In order to figure out which type of lens is right for you, I advise you to go through a specially designed test on the website and find out which type of IOL will provide you with the optimal visual result.
You can choose the type of lens for implantation based on your own wishes, and your surgeon will determine if there are any medical restrictions. But if a person's eye is healthy, then there are no age restrictions, there are your lifestyle and visual needs. So try to choose the type of lens on this site, and feel free to go to your ophthalmologist with this result to choose a specific model.
Have a crisp vision!
Alex,
IOL-adviser.com expert