As we get older, our eyes and other parts of your body may not be spared from the effect of aging. Gray hairs may pop up. The skin may show some wrinkles. The eyes may gradually develop cataract.

What is cataract ?

Cataract is known as the opacity of the crystalline lens. The crystalline lens is the natural lens in the eyeball. It is clear and transparent in appearance and allows light rays to pass through it to the back of the eye ( retina) to form an image.

How cataract is formed             

Cataract develops gradually when the protein, fiber, water content or structural make-up of the lens begin to degenerate. This process is called lens denaturation and it’s usually caused by oxidation of the lens by UV rays, intense heat or aging process of the body.

As the lens degenerates, it starts to get cloudy and lose its transparency or natural clear appearance. This degeneration may continue for several months or years until the lens becomes opaque or gets to maturity.

Causes of cataract

Effect of Aging is the primary and most common cause of Cataract. This is the reason cataract is more commonly detected among people in their late sixties and the elderly than the younger folks.

However, other causes of cataract include eye injury, diabetes, constant exposure of the eyes to ultraviolet rays of the sun, intense heat, prolonged use of steroidal eye drops/meditations etc

Symptoms of cataract

You won’t know if you have cataract until it is detected during eye examination by your eye-care practitioner. However some signs/symptoms that are usually associated with cataract are as follows.

– Cloudy, hazy or decreased vision. This often compel people to want to have an eye examination and change their glasses.

– Colours of objects may appear less saturated. This is the case with mature cataract.

– The pupil may look ‘whitish-gray’ if the opacity is in its advanced stage.

– Your eyes become very sensitive to light and glare. Glare is often a major problem for cataract patients and a big challenge for night driving.

Treatment

Like many eye conditions, cataract can not be treated with the use of eye drops or medications. It is removed by surgical procedure. During this procedure, the cloudy, hazy lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens called IOL – Intra Ocular Lens. The lens is clean, clear, transparent and has the look and shape of the natural lens.

Cataract can also be removed by Laser-assisted procedure. This depends on the ophthalmologist’s preferred approach.

With cataract removal and IOL implant, light rays can once again pass through the lens to the retina and give a clearer vision.

However after cataract surgery, the eye needs some time to heal. This may take from 6 weeks to 12 weeks- as the case maybe. When the eye is properly healed, it is advisable to visit the optometrist for eye examination to determine if glasses is needed for vision correction.

Written By;

Austin Madu, OD
( Optometrist )

Vision defects and the need for acute vision has made recommended glasses a daily wear and necessity for most people today. Spectacles ( commonly referred to as glasses ) are made up of 2 main parts – frames and lenses. Like most things in life, your glasses should be handled with care and taken care of, if you want it to last long, look good and serve its purpose.

Use of spectacle case

Glasses are worn regularly or as recommended. But when you don’t have it on your face, it should be in its case. The case protects it from scratches or getting damaged. The case should completely house the spectacle without squeezing, squashing or pressing tightly on it. There are basically two types of case – hard and soft cases. Hard cases give better protection against hard impact than soft cases. Soft cases are less bulky and can fit in a pant pocket or small purse.

Taking off your glasses 

Make it a habit to take your glasses off your face with two hands. Using one hand, often put a strain on one of the temples ( handles ) which ( after some time ) could get bent or become slack. This is more so if the hinges are not spring-loaded. When you take off your glasses and has no case to put it, do not rest it on any surface with its lens facing down or touching the surface. This is simply to prevent lens scratches.

Outdoors

Be careful where you leave your glasses when you are outdoors. Most people lose their glasses when they are outdoors especially on recreational grounds where they may want to take off their glasses to engage in a fun activity with friends or family members. Resting your glasses on the burnet, roof or trunk of a vehicle when you are outdoors is not a good idea. Most people have lost their glasses or got it damaged by doing so.

Heat 

Exposing your glasses to heat is not advisable. Leaving your glasses, for example, on the dash board of a vehicle parked outdoors in the sun exposes the lens to heat, especially in tropical countries. Heat affects lenses with anti reflective ( AR ) coating. Heat weakens the AR coating, cause it to disintegrate, peel off or make it prone to scratches. This should be avoided. Heat also affects Polycarbonate lenses. Heat, in combination with other environmental factors, cause the lens to gradually degenerate due to oxidation process. The effect of oxidation often leaves polycarbonate lenses with ‘wavy lines, scratchy or “cracked-up” type of appearance after some time.

Work Environments         

Glasses are more prone to scratches in certain work environments than others. Typical of such environments are building construction sites, untidy work shops, production factories or industrial environments with flying particles in the air. In these environments, the use of Safety googles or protective shields should be worn to not only protect your glasses while at work, but also your eyes.

Cleaning Your Lens

Smudges finger prints or dust on the lens can affect the clarity of your vision therefore it should be cleaned as often as necessary. However, you should not clean your lens with any fabric that you can reach. Your lens should be cleaned with a soft lens cloth which is usually provided by your eye-care practitioner or a lens cleaning spray/wipes.

In the absence of a lens cloth/spray, a mixture of water and small amount of dish-washing liquid can be used to get rid of smudges and then rinse with clean water and gently dry-clean with a soft tissue. The lens should be wiped gently in one directional strokes and not “scrubbed”.

Those who wear mask as demanded by their jobs; surgeons, dentists, nurses, miners etc may find anti-fog spray/wipe necessary for cleaning their lenses. This prevents the lens from getting foggy resulting from breathing through the mask.

Cleaning AR Lenses                                                                                  

Lens with anti reflective (AR) coating should be handled with care. To prolong the life of AR coating or prevent it from scratches, it should be rinsed with water first and then cleaned gently with a soft lens cloth. Rinsing the lens first, with water is to ensure that there are no tiny dust or sand particles on the lens that could leave fine-line-scratches on the lens when you wipe.

Do not clean your lenses with house-hold cleaning chemicals liquids or spray, most of which contains harsh chemical agents that can affect the clarity or coating of the lens.

Metal Frames                                                                                         

Metal frames are more prone to scratches than plastic frames. And scratches of equal degrees are also more visible on metal frames than plastic frames, therefore more care should be given to metal frames.

Corrosion on a metal-frame temple ( arm ) can occur from a skin-sweat-metal reaction after prolonged use. However this is NOT always the case with every metal-frame wearer or material. This type of corrosion depends on the wearer’s skin-type, excessive perspiration or if his/her skin has allergic reactions to metals. On this basis, metal frames should be cleaned regularly if you sweat a lot and immediately, after lounging by a salty-water beach side.

Use of Strings

Under-age children should protect their glasses from falling off their face by using eyewear retainer. This is a strap that is attached to the temple ( arm) of the spectacle and hangs to the back of the wearers neck. It prevents the glasses from falling off the face which is quite common among children especially when playing in school. Adults with over-size or slacked frame can as well use it to safe-guard their glasses from falling off their face.

Sports

Do not engage in an active sport with your spectacle if it is not a spectacle designed for sports. Doing so puts your glasses at risk of falling off your face, being stepped on and getting damaged. If you must engage in an active sport like football, Lawn tennis, Rugby etc, it is advisable to wear contact lens or sports spectacles.

Written By;

Austin Madu, OD                                                                                                                  ( Optometrist )