Cataracts

What are cataracts?

Symptoms of cataracts

Causes of cataracts

Prevention of cataracts

Treatment of cataracts

References

What are cataracts?

A cataract is when the lens of the eye goes cloudy or opaque and causes vision impairment. Cataracts can affect one or both eyes.

As cataracts progress they can affect your ability to function and live normally by impairing driving, reading and recognizing faces, and increasing the risk of falling, accidents and depression. (1)

Cataracts affect more than 50% of Americans over the age of 65 years and 68% of those aged over 80. (3) Cataracts cause 51% of all cases of blindness and 33% of visual impairment worldwide, rising to nearly 60% of blindness in parts of Africa and South America.

Symptoms of cataracts

Symptoms often develop slowly and at first may not be obvious.

• Bright lights cause halos, glare and distortion.
• Colours fade, yellowing of colours.
• Blurred or double vision.
• Night vision difficulty.
• Frequent changes in your glasses prescription.
• Gradual reduction in visual clarity.
• Eventually, blindness that impairs the ability to live a normal life.

Causes of cataracts

• Glycation is a process where sugar combines with protein, or sugar combines with fat. Glycation is responsible for complications in many degenerative diseases, and in ageing. In particular, glycation end products cause blood vessel complications in diabetes.
• Sugar. A high sugar and refined carbohydrate diet which promotes glycation. Diabetics have an increased risk of cataracts.
• Vitamin C deficiency. A diet low in fresh raw vegetables and fruits such as lemons.
• Ageing.
• Glutathione deficiency.
• Extensive use of corticosteroid medication. These steroids raise blood glucose levels, and weaken the immune system.
• Stress. Prolonged and chronic stress that goes on for extended periods without and end in sight.
• Trauma, including previous eye surgery.
• Congenital cataracts which are inherited from a parent. This type of cataract may be present at birth, or may slowly develop over many decades.
• Smoking tobacco.
• Alcohol.
• Radiation exposure, including x-rays, microwaves and prolonged exposure to UV-B in strong sunlight.
• Skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and eczema can raise the risk of developing cataracts.

Prevention of cataracts

• Diet. A no sugar, no refined carbohydrate diet.
• Fasting, intermittent fasting, one or two meals per day. No snacking.
• Alpha Lipoic Acid. ALA is found in red meat, liver and yeast. It may also be purchased as a supplement.
• Phytonutrients, particularly those found in raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cress, horseradish, kohlrabi, radish and turnip.
• Glutathione is an antioxidant found in all kinds of real foods, with the richest sources being high-sulphur foods like egg yolks and cruciferous vegetables. Leafy greens such as spinach, and avocado, asparagus and okra are also a good source. Sufficient vitamin C and turmeric will help increase glutathione absorption.
• Lutein, which is a major component of the orange and yellow pigment found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. (2)
• Vitamin B1, B2, C and E.
• Stress management. Taking full responsibility for your life, telling the truth to yourself, living life with integrity, seeking how to make a contribution to others, believing in God or a higher power. Meditation. Perspective.
• Onion.
• Zinc.
• Castor oil.

If you use any remedies from Grow Youthful, please come back next week (or whenever you have an outcome) and let us know about your experience. Please leave a comment as many people are interested.

See details of remedies recommended by Grow Youthful visitors, and their experience with them.

Treatment of cataracts

Surgery. After cataracts are well established the only effective treatment is surgery. The operation removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial lens. Cataract surgery is usually day surgery (outpatient surgery) done under local anaesthetic that takes 30 to 45 minutes. You should be able to go home on the same day. About 90% of patients enjoy a corrected vision of 20/40 or better after surgery. (4)

In more developed countries, a trend to overuse cataract surgery has led to disappointing results because cataract surgery can only meet expectations when significant functional impairment due to cataracts exists before the surgery. (5)

References

1. Gimbel HV, Dardzhikova AA. Consequences of waiting for cataract surgery. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology, January 2011. 22 (1): 28-30. doi:10.1097/icu.0b013e328341425d. PMID 21076306. S2CID 205670956.

2. Chew EY, SanGiovanni JP, Ferris FL, Wong WT, Agron E, Clemons TE, Sperduto R, Danis R, Chandra SR, Blodi BA, Domalpally A, Elman MJ, Antoszyk AN, Ruby AJ, Orth D, Bressler SB, Fish GE, Hubbard GB, Klein ML, Friberg TR, Rosenfeld PJ, Toth CA, Bernstein P. Lutein/zeaxanthin for the treatment of age-related cataract: AREDS2 randomized trial report no. 4. Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Research Group. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2013 Jul;131(7):843-50. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2013.4412. PMID: 23645227; PMCID: PMC6774801.

3. Cataract Data and Statistics. National Eye Institute. nei.nih.gov. 2019-11-18.

4. Bollinger KE, Langston RH. What can patients expect from cataract surgery? (March 2008). Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 75 (3): 193-96, 199-200.

5. Black N, Browne J, van der Meulen J, Jamieson L, Copley L, Lewsey J. Is there overutilisation of cataract surgery in England? (January 2009). The British Journal of Ophthalmology. 93 (1): 13-17.