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Cataracts Are The Most Common Cause Of Blindness

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According to the World Health Organization, cataracts are the most common cause of blindness in the world; while it typically afflicts older populations and is most often the result of aging and other factors, it has also been known to appear in younger people, especially after injury. But what are cataracts and what can you do? As a premium eye care services practice located in Jewett City, CT, the folks at Dr. Joel Zuckerbraun O.D., P.C. emphasize the importance of patient education, which is why they offer a quick breakdown of what you need to know about this condition. So what can this eye doctor tell us about cataracts? Let’s take a look: What are cataracts? Put simply, this condition is when the lens of the eye clouds over, affecting visual acuity. Allowed to advance without treatment, it can lead to full blindness in the affected eye. Sufferers may experience blurry vision, high sensitivity to glare, poor night vision and double vision in one eye.…show more content…
Causes aren’t entirely clear; however, age is a massive factor. It’s reported that that more than half of people develop them by age 80. In addition, cataracts can be the result of congenital issues, UV damage from sunlight, diabetes, eye injury or the result of poor lifestyle choices like smoking. How are they detected? There are three primary ways these are detected. A test of overall visual acuity—the classic reading of the eye chart—will give some idea of cataracts presence. In addition, the dilated eye exam, in which your lens is dilated, will allow the optometrist to take a closer look, and a measure of internal pressure—called tonometry—will provide a full
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