Cataracts and vision loss

One quarter of all people in the UK aged over 75 will develop cataracts and after the age of 50 your chances of having cataracts really begin to increase. A cataract causes damage to the eye lens and the only available treatment to restore vision damaged by cataracts is the removal of the cataract and the damaged eye lens. Cataract surgeons then replace the natural eye lens with an intraocular lens to restore vision.

What is a cataract and what causes cataracts?

A cataract damages the eye lens, distorting the way light enters the eye and causing vision to become cloudy.

The eye lens works like a camera: light enters the eye and is sent in a clean line backwards through the eye to the retina. From the retina, electrical images are sent to the brain and these images are what we see.

When the eye lens becomes clouded by a cataract, light defracts as it enters the eye, sending fractured images towards the retina. The images we see become distorted or 'cloudy'.

Cataracts are caused by a build up of proteins in the eye. These proteins gradually clump together and damage the eye lens. The longer a cataract is left untreated the more proteins that cloud the lens and the more damaged vision becomes.

Cataracts area common problem for people over the age of 50 - with 1 in 4 UK patients developing a cataract in a lifetime. Cataracts develop gradually with age but can also be caused by damage to the eye or as the result of a genetic problem in the case of congenital cataracts.

Different types of cataract can damage different parts of the eye lens and more than one cataract can develop at once. Cataracts commonly occur in both eyes at the same time.

What are the symptoms of a cataract?

The most common symptoms of cataracts are blurred or cloudy vision, difficulty in seeing bright colours, seeing halos or glare around bright lights and poor night vision. Cataracts symptoms will vary according to the type of cataract. As the cataract develops, symptoms of blurred, cloudy vision will increase and vision deteriorates.

How do cataracts develop and progress?

Once a cataract starts to develop, the condition will get worse over time. The speed a cataract develops will vary between patients but the more advanced a cataract becomes the more damage is caused to eye sight.

How are cataracts diagnosed?

Cataracts must be diagnosed by a qualified opthalmologist. The symptoms of cataract may be similar to those of another eye condition and it is important patients have a consultation with an eye clinic before booking cataract operations online.

To diagnose a cataract the opthalmologist will perform a series of eye tests: a visual acuity test, pupil dilation test and a tonometry test. These tests can diagnose a cataract in the very early stages of cataract development which is why regular eye tests are strongly recommended, especially for people aged over 65.

What is recovery like after cataract surgery and what results can I expect?

Cataract surgery is performed as an outpatient operation. The surgery is complete within one hour and patients are able to return home the same day.

Immediately after cataract surgery, vision will be blurred due to the eye drops used to dilate and numb the eye for surgery. Patients are generally prescribed eye drops to protect the eye from infection as it heals and the new replacement lens settles in the eye. It is important that patients try to avoid irritating the eye until fully healed and waering an eye patch while sleeping can prevent rubbing the eye and causing a problem.

The recovery from cataract surgery is fast - most patients feel only a slight ache in the eye for one-two days post-surgery.

The results of cataract surgery are excellent with 95% of patients reporting an immediate improvement in their sight*. Patients can expect an end to blurred vision, annoying glare and halos from bright lights and an improvement in night vision.

What are the risks and complications of cataract surgery?

As one of the most commonly performed ophthalmology procedures, cataract surgery enjoys a very low complication rate and the surgical risks are low. However, as with all surgery it's important to understand the risks and complications surrounding cataract surgery to help you make appropriate arrangements for the recovery period.

Frequently asked questions about cataracts

Will you be able to see or feel anything during cataract surgery? How long will the new lens last? You can find the answers to the most often asked questions about cataracts and cataract surgery by visiting our cataract FAQ page.

*statistics from NHS Choices

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What Is Macular Degeneration And Its Two Forms?

By Rachel Berret

You know that with age comes a variety of health problems. There are cases of osteoporosis, muscle spasms and the very serious heart condition. These are actually diseases that are caused by the weakening immune system and other bodily structures inside your body. They can no longer support the activities that you very do with much energy when you are younger.

One part of your body that is very well affected by aging is your eyes. True to form, the usual problems encountered by the elderly are loss of vision and poor eyesight. Macular degeneration is a disease that progresses with age and that damages the macula. This part of your eyes is in the central area of the retina, which is responsible for the clarity of your vision.

When you have macular degeneration, you experience seeing blurry pictures and distorted images of your surroundings. You cannot read clearly because the words look jumbled together. You would also find recognizing people's faces and even the features of various places as difficult due to blurred spots in your vision. Even if you would not likely go completely blind because some parts of your vision, like the periphery, are retained, having macular degeneration is still impairing because it deals with the major aspect of your eyesight.

There are two forms of macular degeneration: dry and wet. If your condition is that of the dry form, drusen-yellow deposits that hinders the macula-develop in a slow manner. Therefore, you would only feel its manifestations when the drusen is already growing. The cells in your macula also get thinner, which leads to the death of the tissues in your eyes.

If on the other hand you have the wet form of macular degeneration, abnormal blood vessels grow under the retinal pigment epithelium layer. It leads to bleeding and leaking that in turn causes scarring. Then, your eyesight transcends from having blind spots to finally losing your vision. This is a condition that develops rather faster than the dry form.

So how do you prevent macular degeneration? Definitely, you need to know the risk factors involved so you can avoid them. Age and heredity are the primary risk factors. But smoking, obesity and exposure to too much sunlight can also put you at a great risk of having the disease. You also have to be on the lookout if you have a case of cardiovascular problem and hypertension.

Hi. I'm Rachel Berret, a big advocate seeing an osteopath for your health complaints. I have a great osteopath Melbourne that helps me overcome my own aches and pains such as back pain, neck pains and headaches.

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How to Choose Industrial Eye Protection

By Mike Strama

Many injuries in industrial workplace settings occur due to improper eye safety, whether because the worker was wearing the improper safety eyewear or not wearing eye protection at all. Understanding the possible eye hazards and the types of protection available is critical to ensuring a safe workplace. Molten metal, harmful liquids and chemicals, and intense light radiation are just a few examples of dangers that can lead to serious injury through direct contact or exposure. With various styles, types and features, protective eyewear can prevent injuries from occurring. Below, learn more about choosing the right protective eyewear for the job.

Identifying the Hazards:
Understanding the potential hazards that can lead to eye injury can help you better choose the right type of eyewear. Safety lenses can protect your eyes from flying particles caused by using machinery for grinding, drilling, sawing or sanding. Protective eyewear and face shields are also required during welding and other applications that cause hot sparks and molten metal splash to come into contact with the eyes and face. When working with liquid chemicals or harmful gases and vapors, special-purpose glasses can help guard against exposure and injury. Workers using laser or welding applications may also be exposed to harmful UV lights and infrared radiation.
Protective Eyewear Features:
Safety glasses add scratch resistance to the lenses and ensure durability and long lens life. Lenses are also coated to reduce moisture and keep the spectacles from fogging up. For certain applications, such as welding and laser cutting, protection from UV and infrared radiation may be necessary. Frequent exposure to UV radiation can cause immediate effects such as photokeratitis, which causes sunburn on the surface of the eye, or long-term problems including cataract formation. While tinted lenses can help protect against UV radiation, exposure to infrared radiation requires special shaded lenses. Tinted lenses can also protect against harsh lights and bright sunlight, and true color gray (TCG) protective eyewear help workers who need to identify true colors, such as in electrical wiring applications or traffic signal control.
Comfort and Visibility:
Comfortable safety glasses that do not distract the worker are more likely to be used than eyewear that constantly slips off the face, fogs up, or makes the worker sweaty and uncomfortable. Therefore, comfort and visibility play a key role when choosing the right protective eyewear. Many styles and sizes are available today, with glasses that can fit any facial contour. Thinner lenses and lighter frames also improve comfort, and customizable features allow workers to adjust the glasses to their own preferences.
Many workplace injuries can be prevented when wearing the proper protective eyewear. Employees should be trained and required to wear all the necessary protective garments to reduce the risk of injury on the job.

Mike Strama writes for Magid Glove Safety (http://www.magidglove.com/), a leading manufacturer and distributor of quality eye protection, work gloves, and other industrial safety equipment. Magid provides workers with the safety equipment they need to stay protected and improve productivity. For more information, visit http://www.magidglove.com.

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Vision Care and Safe Driving

As a minimum legal requirement to ensure safe driving, drivers should display visual acuity of 20/40 with or without corrective lenses. Restrictions generally apply to those with acuity between 20/41 and 20/70, limiting them to driving in daylight hours only.

A 120 degree wide field of view is the minimum legal requirement for peripheral vision in order to qualify for a license without restrictions (in some states the threshold is higher at 140 degrees). This is with or without corrective lenses.

If you are a wearer of telescopic lenses, a useful driving aid for sufferers of diminished visual acuity whose peripheral vision remains virtually intact, you will be subject to special requirements and additional testing.

Telescopic lens wearers must include the ability to locate stationary and moving objects within the telescopic field, and the ability to adjust successfully to changes in light levels, especially during inclement weather. Excessive contrast and glare sensitivity also compromises safe driving.

As a responsible driver, then, you should be aware of breaking the law if you fail to meet these visual standards every time you switch on your engine. In particular, if you do need to wear corrective lenses to meet the driving visual standard, it is vital you wear them at all times. It is a good idea to keep a spare pair of glasses in the auto so that you are never tempted to drive illegally without them.

Let's now look more closely at drivers' eyewaer as this aspect of vision care contributes significantly to safe driving. Here are some important guidelines:

* The current fashion is for narrower, thin-rimmed or rimless glasses. These are ideal for driving as they allow maximum peripheral vision (They are not so good, however, for cutting out the glare of reflected ultraviolet rays from snow and sand).

* At a reasonable cost, anti-reflective coatings can be applied to any lenses helping to reduce glare and enhance nighttime vision.

* Glasses with plastic lenses are safer and lighter. A plastic bridge helps cushion the nose if wearing metal frames.

* Keep a lens cloth in your auto along with your spare pair of glasses. Glasses and contact lenses should be kept scrupulously clean to ensure a clear field of vision.

* Wearers of contact lenses, and sufferers from hay fever, should also keep a spare pair of glasses in the auto. Switching to a pair of glasses when travelling long distances offers some respite for tired, watery eyes.

* If you need to wear prescription glasses to drive, never replace them with non-prescription sunglasses. It is illegal and does not make for safe driving. Instead, buy a pair of prescription sunglasses, or use clip-on lenses over your prescription lenses. A cautionary note: You should make sure that your clip-on lenses are suitable for plastic lenses.

* In adverse weather conditions where visability is poor, such as heavy rain or snow, never wear tinted glasses. This rule is equally applicable to tinted motorbike helmets.

Safe driving also means "vision care" or essential checks for your auto. Don't restrict your view by putting non-essential stickers on the windows of your vehicle, or hanging objects such as dolls or dice where they might prove a distraction.

Keep your windscreen clean and free from scratches, and your lights adjusted to provide good illumination without causing glare. Protect your eyes from the glare of other vehicles by looking slightly to the left of oncoming traffic at night. Temporary blindness caused by glare can be particularly dangerous.

Safe driving means showing continuing responsibility. As we have seen, restrictions can apply to drivers where vision is impaired from cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes or any other relevant medical conditions which constitute a notifiable disability.

There are two key points to note here. First, if you are involved in an accident and are subsequently found to have an undeclared visual impairment, your insurance cover could be at risk.

Secondly, and more reassuringly, having a notifiable visual impairment does not automatically preclude your being allowed to drive. Limited-period licenses, issued to keep a regular check on your condition, and licenses restricting driving to daytime only, should be viewed as the ultimate safeguard of both vision care and safe driving.

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Maureen Cook - About the Author:

© 2006 Maureen P Cook Maureen Cook writes articles for publication from her home in England. In this article, she shows you how good vision care can aid safe driving. To read more, go to Vision Care

Contact Lenses and Spectacles Are Equally Important For the Protection of the Eyes

By Marie Chrismer

We see this beautiful world through our eyes; it is God's best gift to the human beings. Our eyes are the most precious part of our body and we take the most care of our eyes. Unfortunately, our eyes are the most vulnerable part of us. People suffer with their eyes the most, no matter how much protection they provide. Almost each and every person suffers from some kind of visionary problems. Protection of the eyes is the one of the most important things that human beings should follow. After a certain age every living person suffer from visionary problems, but till that time they must take proper care of the eyes to feel the beauty of this world. There are several ways which can be adopted to protect the eyes and the two most important are using spectacles or contact lenses. Both of these tools provide excellent protection to the eyes from infections, dirt and several other things. Nowadays, most people use any of these two eye protection tools to provide safety to the eyes.
Glass spectacles have been used by the people for a long period of time, whereas the contact lenses are a new invention. Both of them share almost equal importance and used by the people at a large extent. However, there are several factors because of which the lenses are better than the eye glasses in some respects. The first advantage that the contact lenses have over the glass specs is the size. A contact lens is a small piece of round plastic, worn on the cornea of the human eyes. They are extremely soft and light, due to which people do not have to face any problem or irritation while wearing them; whereas, the eye glasses are large, thick and heavy. People often face problems while carrying them all day long. Some people even experience some scratchy feeling when using the eye glasses. The contact lenses even provide much more fashion than the eye glasses. Nowadays, most teenagers use contact lens instead of the eye glasses because of this reason.
However, there are few angles from which the glass spectacles are advantageous over the contact lenses and that is the cleaning procedure. Contact lenses must be taken well care of to get the optimum performance from it. It must be cleaned and disinfected regularly using any good contact lens solution. People should soak the contact lenses in the solution for the whole night before going to sleep. But, people using the glass spectacles do not have to face any such problems. It does not have to be cleaned or disinfected using any such solutions. Simple cleaning with the dry and clean piece of cloth keeps the glass clean. Leaving these advantages and disadvantages of the lenses and the glass spectacles, both of them are largely used by the people. They provide excellent protection for the human eyes and help us to keep the most precious part of our body safe and sound for a long time.

To get rid of your eye glasses you need to have Contact Lenses and the best place you can go to Buy Contact Lenses is none other than Contact Lenses Compared.

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Eye Strain

By Geoff Ryder

You've had a long day at the office, you are at your desk in front of your computer. You're exhausted, tired, aching all over, you have a headache and your eyes feel like they are dry and on fire. Focusing on your monitor is getting difficult. You may feel that you are just overworked, but it may actually be the result of eye strain.
Most people think eye safety at work involves protecting your eyes with those big thick plastic goggles with the tight elastic that stop flying metal fragments or acids from causing major eye injury.
However, common eye injury can occur to the average office worker who uses a computer regularly.
Symptoms of eye strain can include:

• dry eyes
• blurred vision
• itchy eyes
• watery eyes
• tired eyes
• burning eyes (even when closed)
• headaches
• fatigue
• muscle tension
• double vision
• Nausea
• reading problems
• lack of concentration
  

If you start to experience any of the above symptoms, one solution is to take "eye breaks".
While focussing on your task, you will blink less and forget to rest. Every 20 minutes or so, have a break and look away from the monitor for at least 20 seconds. Blink a few times to lubricate and then gaze out in the distance without focussing on anything. By doing this throughout the day, you will feel more refreshed and focused.
Computer monitors should be adjusted so that they are at or just below eye level, if your monitor is fixed your seating position may have to be adjusted to compensate. Having an incorrectly adjusted monitor will not only aid eye strain, it will also strain your neck. Adjust the brightness of your screen and text size to avoid having to squint at the screen.
Employees are not the only ones who should be mindful of eye strain, research has shown that eye strain results in decreased proficiency and diminished accuracy due to fatigue.
The reduction of glare is another thing that businesses can do to reduce the strain on employees eyes. Harsh light results in employees straining their eyes while trying to perform their duties. Having exterior windows tinted will significantly reduce the glare. Numerous commercial window tinting companies specialise in applying tint to commercial buildings.
Another way employers can reduce eye strain is to ensure that all electrical lighting is neither too bright nor too dimm.
By following a few simple steps, workers and their employers can maintain productivity and workplace safety.

http://www.increaseyoureyevision.blogspot.com.au

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Are You At Risk For Glaucoma?

Imagine a world where everything is black. Do you see a shapeless, colorless and lifeless world? Blindness is a reality that many people have to deal with. Some people are born to be this way while some lose their vision either through a life changing event or gradually, as with glaucoma.

What is Glaucoma?

You may have heard the term "glaucoma" in the health programs in radio and television and usually, it is discussed hand-in-hand with the issue of blindness. Glaucoma is said to be the second leading cause of blindness in the United States. It is the leading cause of blindness for African Americans, who are more prone to the effects of glaucoma than Caucasians.

This certain disease is currently affecting three million Americans, and 4% of these people go blind because of glaucoma. Don't let the percentage fool you, it translates to an actual number of 120,000 people who have gone blind because of glaucoma. All over the world, an estimated 66 million people are suffering from visual impairment due to glaucoma and around 6 million people have gone blind because of glaucoma.

Now that you've seen the problem that is glaucoma, you might as well ask the nature and description of glaucoma. Glaucoma is actually a group of diseases in the eye that is connected with the damaging of the optic nerves. Optic nerves are responsible for delivering information from the brain to the eyes. Damage to the optic nerves can occur when they are under high intraoptic pressure. However, studies have shown that damage can also occur within the range of normal intraoptic pressure.

What are the causes of glaucoma?

There are several notable causes of glaucoma. Studies have shown that the items listed below are some of the most probable causes of the eye disease.

-Medical disorder
There are several common medical disorders that can lead to the development of glaucoma and these disorders can also be catalysts for the aggravation of the disease. Chronic eye diseases other than glaucoma can well be reasons for its development, moreover, previous surgeries involving the eyes can also be a cause of glaucoma. Diabetes and other diseases are also one of the main culprits associated with glaucoma.
Those who take in steroids are also more prone to glaucoma because the use of steroids is much associated with the occurance of the disease.

-Coming of age
As we age, our bodies' efficiency gradually deteriorates. Age is also a common cause of glaucoma. Studies have shown that age and the occurance of glaucoma are directly correlated. This means that as one ages, he is more prone to have glaucoma than when he was younger.

-Ethnicity
Race is also a main factor when it comes to pinpointing the causes of glaucoma. As mentioned earlier, there are more African-Americans that are pestered by glaucoma than Caucasian-Americans. The specific type of glaucoma that is hitting the African-American population is called the chronic glaucoma. African-Americans are also more prone to have glaucoma at a younger age, starting at 45.

-Family glaucoma history
Just like any of the common modern diseases, the possibility of glaucoma occurring is higher in people who come from families who have glaucoma history.

How do you spot glaucoma?

You may think that glaucoma, like any other disease, will manifest itself through signs and symptoms. There are different types of glaucoma and there are different symptoms for each one. The most devastating one is the chronic glaucoma since it doesn't manifest itself through symptoms during its early stages. The victim wouldn't notice that he has this type of glaucoma until he sees that his peripheral vision has deteriorated, at this point in time, the damage done is irreversible. Narrow-angle glaucoma operates similarly as the chronic one. Closed-angel glaucoma manifests itself in the form of headaches, eye pain, vomiting and nausea. Congenital glaucoma, which occurs in children, damages the vision of its victims since they are too young to understand that there is something wrong with their eyes.

How do I avoid glaucoma?

There is really no exact way to prevent glaucoma. The only thing to do is to do everything in your power to take care of your eyes. A proper diet will definitely help in avoiding glaucoma. Vitamins A, E, C and zinc can greatly reduce the chance of getting glaucoma.

Take care of your eyes and treasure them. You'll never know when the culprit will arrive, so be prepared always.

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Lee Dobbins - About the Author:

Lee Dobbins writes for http://vision.health-webzone.com where you can learn more about glaucoma, eye care and eye health.