Understanding Cataract
Greetings to you all,
It's been a lovely week and things have been great. I do hope you had a wonderful week and that you are staying safe also. I am here once again to share some lessons about eyecare and for today i would be treating Cataract and the theory surrounding Vitamin C intake as a way to combat it.
I do hope you enjoy the read and also have a good time. If you haven't been following my eye care lessons please feel free to check out my previous posts. So far we have treated refractive errors, glaucoma, and a few others. You always reach out to me if you need any explanations.
Cataract
A cataract is a condition of the eye where the crystalline lens inside the eye, which adds up to the visual system's refractive process that enables us to see get clouded making light difficult to pass through and impeding vision. This thus presents with some form of foggy or cloudy vision much like how one may see on a day of thick fog.
Cataracts may come about as a result of the natural aging process or could also be as a result of trauma to the eye. Conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are also a precursor to the development and progression of cataracts in the eye. Other risk factors include smoking, obesity, steroid usage which fall under drug-induced glaucoma, UV rays, etc.
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The Nature of the Lens is such that old cells are not removed after their time is done unlike what happens on the skin where old cells peel off and are naturally removed by the body through other systems and are replaced. This makes the cells pile up in the lens as we age resulting in what we basically know as cataract or better still senile-cataract.
One other theory that supports the development and progression of cataracts is oxidation. The eye is one of the most active organs of the body thus because the retina is always working overtime. This gives room for a lot of reactive oxygen species to be available in the eye.
The ROS also react with the cells of the lens killing them before their time and facilitating the progression of Cataract in the eye. The best way to thus go about this is to increase anti-oxidants in the body and thus the eye as a whole.
Anti-Oxidation for the Eye
The eye just like the brain has a protective barrier much like the brain. That of the brain is known as the blood-brain barrier whereas that of the eye is known as the blood-retina barrier and so getting things into the eye has to be done right. Anyway, so what i was talking about was oxidation for the eye to help combat cataract.
Research has shown that ascorbic acid is the most potent antioxidant when it comes to the eye and has proven to be quite effective in reducing the development and progression of cataracts. It was also found that people who take vitamin c supplementation for more than 10 years of the course of their lifespan hardly develop matured cataracts that would warrant cataract extraction surgery.
It must however be noted that Ascorbic acid is not the only antioxidant good for the eye and helps in combating cataract but also antioxidants like vitamin D, Vitamin A and Glutathione does amazing for the eye. Individuals who have access to foods that would help boost their antioxidant levels should definitely give it a try.
Conclusion
What i wish for us to take away from our lesson today is the fact that cataract is not a condition that can be treated with drugs or medication only a surgical process. Cataract is a leading cause of blindness in Africa and many developing nation and should be taken more seriously.
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As i conclude our lessons for the day let me reiterate that we ought not to be deceived by people wishing to sell of their drugs and others claiming that their product will melt cataract away. The lens cannot be melted way like and you would be putting your ocular health on the line should you give in to these things.
Rerefences
Asbell, P. A., Dualan, I., Mindel, J., Brocks, D., Ahmad, M., & Epstein, S. (2005). Age-related cataract. Lancet (London, England), 365(9459), 599–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)17911-2
Schmitt, C., & Hockwin, O. (1990). The mechanisms of cataract formation. Journal of inherited metabolic disease, 13(4), 501–508. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01799507
Taylor A. (1989). Associations between nutrition and cataract. Nutrition reviews, 47(8), 225–234. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.1989.tb02848.x
Loved reading the information and also the pictures are cool. Keep sharing such informative and original posts. Cheers!
Cheers! And thanks for reading too
We are glad to have you here. Thanks for the education Boss
You are very much welcome please
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Oh really! Vitamin C,D and A. Then i have to be taking it at least everyday . Readers take heed and protect your eyes . note it cant be treated with drugs unless surgical interventions.
You got it right, thanks for reading please
Awsome!
Thanks for informative and educational lesson you have shared here, it will go a long to help us maintain good health because we all know that health is wealth. I am excited because we have you here.
Thank you so much for your words senior, I’m glad you liked my articles I’m motivated to keep sharing
You are welcome and you always come up with something spectacular.