Reducing Your Risk of Cataracts
Approximately half of all Americans between the ages of 65 and 75 have cataracts. At this time, there is no definitive way to prevent age-related cataracts, but early diagnosis improves treatment outcomes. So, if you are over age 60, you should have an eye examination at least once every one to two years. You should have an eye examination more often if you have any additional risk factors for cataracts, such as:
- Diabetes
- Glaucoma
- Hypertension
- Rheumatoid arthritis
or other auto-immune diseases
- Any medical condition that requires you to take steroid medications for a long period of time
- A family history of cataracts
or other eye diseases
Note: These guidelines are general. Follow the advice of your doctor when deciding how often to get your eyes examined.
The following measures may help reduce your risk of cataracts:
- Avoiding excess exposure to radiation.
- Avoiding excess exposure to sunlight. Wear a hat and UVA/UVB blocking sunglasses whenever in bright sunlight.
- Don’t smoke.
- Wear protective eye wear when participating in sports to help avoid eye injury.
References
American Academy of Ophthalmology
website. Available at:
http://www.aao.org/
.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
website. Available at:
http://www.mayo.edu/
.
The Merck Manual of Medical Information.
17th ed. Simon and Schuster, Inc; 2000.
National Eye Institute website. Available at:
http://www.nei.nih.gov/
.