Prevent Blindness, known as the nation's oldest eye health and safety nonprofit organization, declared June as Cataract Awareness Month to educate the public on symptoms, types of cataracts, cataract surgery, and more. Cataract is the world's leading cause of blindness, according to Prevent Blindness.
A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens, which blocks or changes the passage of light into the eye. The lens of the eye is located behind the pupil and the colored iris and is normally transparent. Vision may become blurry or dim because the cataract stops light from properly passing through to the retina. Generally, a cataract does not cause pain, redness, or tears.
Risk factors for cataracts include older age; intense heat or long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun; certain diseases, such as diabetes; inflammation in the eye; hereditary influences; events before birth, such as German measles in the mother; long-term steroid use; eye injuries; eye diseases; and smoking.
Although most cataract cases in the United States are in older adults, children may also develop pediatric cataracts. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, cataracts in a child can be congenital, meaning they are present at birth, or acquired, having developed after birth. Without treatment, cataracts in young children can cause poor development of the visual pathway between the brain and the eye, leading to vision impairment. Therefore, diagnosing and treating cataracts early in children is critical to promoting normal vision development.
For free information on cataracts, readers may call Prevent Blindness at 800-331-2020 or visit http://www.preventblindness.org/cataract/. For a listing of vision care financial assistance programs in English or Spanish, readers may visit https://preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information/.
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