Cataracts are a common health condition, but many people still do not understand the causes, symptoms, and their own risk factors. The good news about cataracts is that, with early treatment by your eye doctor, treatments including cataract surgery in Chicago can save your vision and prevent permanent eye damage. In honor of May’s Cataract Awareness Month, take a moment to learn about this common vision problem and ways you can save your sight if it happens to you.

What Are Cataracts?

Cataracts cloud the lenses in your eyes, obscuring your vision. They can occur in one eye or both, but they are not contagious and cannot be transferred from one eye to the other. According to the National Eye Institute , over half of people over age 80 have at least one cataract or have had cataract surgery. Although they are commonly associated with aging, anyone can develop a cataract at any time.

What Are the Causes?

Cataracts are caused by proteins in your lenses that clump together to make your vision look cloudy. Age is the most significant risk factor, but smoking, excessive alcohol use, excessive sun exposure, and some chronic diseases, such as diabetes, can also increase the chances of developing cataracts.

What Are the Symptoms?

The first symptom many people with cataracts notice is cloudy vision. You may also notice that colors seem faded or that you’re experiencing double vision in the affected eye. Glare from headlights and lamps often seem more intense with cataracts, and night vision may worsen. Needing to adjust your eyeglasses or contact lenses prescription frequently could be the result of a growing cataract.

What Are the Treatments?

For some patients, eyeglasses work as an initial cataract treatment. If the cataract grows, surgery may be necessary. During cataract surgery, the damaged lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one. Even if your cataract does not interfere with your vision, you eye doctor may recommend that it be removed if it makes eye exams difficult or makes it more complicated to treat other eye conditions.

If you’re looking for eye glasses near Chicago for your child, you may be wondering if computer and television screen time have contributed to his or her nearsightedness. While you’re not alone in this question, there is not a lot of firm medical evidence indicating that screen time causes nearsightedness or eye problems in children. However, there is some speculative evidence suggesting a correlation between time spent reading up close and nearsightedness.

Watch this video from the American Academy of Ophthalmology to listen to an eye doctor speak about screen time and kids’ eyes. According to this optician, the best thing you can do is to encourage your children to interact with people and the outside environment rather than spending their time behind a screen. Not only will this benefit their eye care, it will also encourage socialization and discourage a sedentary lifestyle.

If you want to get the best vision, it is important to get new glasses when your prescription changes. Use this guide to determine when you should schedule an eye exam with your ophthalmologist to see if your prescription has changed.

Most eye doctors suggest getting an exam at least once every two years. If your prescription has changed frequently or if you are having difficulty seeing, you might want to go in for an exam every year. This way, the ophthalmologist can give you a thorough exam to see if there are any health concerns and to make sure your current prescription is serving you well.

Whether you want new glasses or a LASIK consultation in Chicago, you have to find an eye doctor you can trust. Schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist to get an eye exam and to see if you feel comfortable with the doctor so you keep your regular appointments.