CATARACTS are opacification
of your eye's lenses.
|
|
"No
Miss,not cataracts... Cucumber-acts, you
forgot cucumbers over your eyes at the spa!"
|
Behind your pupils is a soft jello-like lens on each side
surrounded by a thin layer of muscle which stretches and squeezes
it to focus images on the back of your eye where the image is turned
into electrical impulses and sent to your brain for processing.
This lens obviously must be see-through clear for seeing to
work. But insults to the lens can scar it turning it from water
clear to cloudy white ie. a cataract.
Common causes of cataracts include:
- High blood
sugar levels in diabetes.
- Cigarettes
chemicals and heavy alcohol use.
- Aging.
- Radiation
from the sun and microwaves.
- Trauma
to the lens.
- Steroid
use long term such as Prednisolone.
- Birth defects
- congenital.
The good thing to know is that cataracts can be avoided by:
- Wearing sunglasses
in bright sunlight.
- Stop smoking.
- Drink alcohol
in moderation.
- Taking Vitamin
C, E and beta-carotene supplements.
