Cataract, An inevitability?
Hello Everyone,
And welcome to my blog, i hope you and your families are staying safe and adhering to the necessary protocols been put in place. Today i want us to take a look at an ocular condition called cataract and why it may seem inescapable.
So Cataract is a major cause of blindness in developing countries and a contributes a some quota in developed nations. Cataract under normal conditions should not lead to blindness because there is a simple surgery which can be done to make things better however, people are not able to afford these surgeries in the developing and poorer countries hence the resulting in loss of functional vision in lots of cases.
Cataract is a clouding of the natural lens of the eye. So in our eye after the pupil the lens is there and it is a transparent medium that allows light to pass through to the retina to enable us to see. The contributes to the vision by refracting or bending the light to the retina, with the help of the muslces holding it, it is able to manipulate light on to the retina from behind or in front, a system known as accomodation.
As we grow older, the lens becomes opaque with time, this is due to the energy utilization process that the lens goes through, also unlike the other parts of the body, the lens does not shed of old parts, it keeps it and accumulate. So whiles you loss some skin everyday, you gain more lens fibers all the times without losing any, this is a natural process that happens and we can do very little about this. So the older you get the higher you chances of developing cataract in the sense that as the fibers accumulate the lens get more and more opaque.
But does this mean, everyone will develop cataract, the answer to that will be yes and no, no in the sense that in some people the accumulation may never be severe or conspicuous enough to even be considered cataract, they grow old and live life to the fullest with their more of a clear vision, whereas the yes answer tells us that everyone has this system ongoing which means the accumulation is inevitable.
But here are some few tips to help with you slowing the accumulation, vitamin c is a powerful antioxidant for the eye and some factors point to it that having more in you system can actually do you lots of good to keep your lens more healthy and slow the progression, also there is the master of antioxidants, glutathione, similar to vitamin c the more abundant it is in you system the healthier, although it reduces with age. Take food rich in carotene and avoid much sugar especially galatactose since they do more harm to the eye than good. If you are a diabetic you have a doubled fold chance of developing cataract quicker, do well to manage you condition well
Always remember to report all ocular cases and emergencies to you optometrist, avoid self medication and keep healthy and hygienic system at all times. Have a nice week ahead, and stay safe. Once again, remember COVID19 is real.
