Are You at Risk for Cataracts? - Center For Sight Las Vegas Skip to content

Am I at Risk for Cataracts?

Everyone is at risk for cataracts. Almost everyone who lives a long life will eventually develop cataracts. As we age, the eye’s lens slowly becomes less flexible, less transparent, and thicker, gradually resulting in cloudy vision. By age 75, about 70 percent of people have cataracts.

June is Cataract Awareness Month, and Center For Sight encourages patients to know their risks for developing cataracts, as well as how to decide when it is time for surgery to restore optimal vision. A few simple tips will help you maintain healthy vision and perhaps even reduce your risk for cataracts:

Get a baseline exam if you are over 40. This is the time when early signs of disease and vision changes may start to occur. During this visit, your eye care specialist will advise you on how often to have follow-up exams.

Know your risk factors. In addition to having a family history of cataracts, having diabetes, or being a smoker, other factors can increase your risk of developing a cataract. These include extensive exposure to sunlight, serious eye injury or inflammation, and prolonged use of steroids.

Reduce your risks. Use UV-rated sunglasses when outdoors and add a wide-brimmed hat when spending long hours in the midday sun. One of the best things anyone can do for their eyes and overall health is to quit smoking or never start. People with diabetes can reduce cataract risk by carefully controlling their blood sugar through diet, exercise, and medications, if needed.

Be informed about when to consider surgery. After age 65, most people will see an eye care specialist at least once a year to have their vision tested and learn whether cataracts are growing. Talk to a board-certified Center For Sight ophthalmologist about whether symptoms like glare, halos, blurriness, dimmed colors, or other cataract-related problems make you an ideal candidate for surgery.

What Else Can I Do About My Cataracts?

Cataracts are inevitable, but Center For Sight offers many treatments options to make your world 20/happy. Diagnostic technology now takes advantage of advanced computer imaging to make cataract surgery more accurate than ever.

You also have a number of lens options to consider. Traditional lenses are monofocal and provide you with focused vision at a distance. Newer options offer a greater range of focal options. Talk with our cataract specialist to discover which lens option is right for you or research your option more here. Click here to learn more about which lens option may be best for you.

If you have trouble seeing at night while driving or if you have blurry or cloudy vision, you may have cataracts. Give us a call to schedule your cataract evaluation at (702) 724-2020 or click here to schedule online.

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