Caffeine to Prevent Cataract

As unbelievable as it might sound, caffeine can have positive effect on preventing the formation of cataract. According to a study that conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine, it is believed that caffeine can protect the lens against damage that further could lead to development of cataracts. The researchers hypothesized that caffeine may prevent the intraocular generation of reactive oxygen species in the lens and consequent damage to the tissue. This latest finding contradicts the early statement that caffeine might boast up the development of cataract. You can read more here:
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2010/05/caffeine-prevents-cataract-formation.aspx

Citric Acid to Fight Diabetic Cataract

Unlike natural cataract that happens due to aging process, diabetic cataract on the other hand, is caused by diabetes or prolonged high level of sugar in the blood system. The Japan Women’s University has found out that citric acid may prevent development of diabetic ketosis, ameliorating complications which including cataract development (in this case diabetic cataract). Citric acid might not affect the blood glucose levels but it can delay the development of cataract and hinder the accumulation of advanced glycation end-products or AGEs. Read more here: http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2010/03/citric-acid-fights-diabetic-cataract.aspx

Curcumim to Prevent Cataract Development

According to studies conducted by researchers from the University of Madras, curcumin’s antioxidant powers can have positive effect to the eye. It appears to help reducing the oxidative stress that occurs in the eye and thus, preventing cataract development. Read more here: http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2010/03/curcumin-prevents-cataract-development.aspx

Cut Down on Carb as It Increases Cataract Risk

Studies from the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project has found out that women who consume higher amounts of carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, bread, processed foods and etc) have higher tendency or greater risk of developing cortical and nuclear lens opacities or in short, cataract. It is advisable that you should monitor your carb intake to prolong the health of the eye lens. Although the correlation is not significant and further studies need to be conducted in order to present a more accurate answer, however, cutting down on carb can really bring positive effects on your health and body. Read more here: http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2010/03/carb-intake-tied-to-cataract-risk.aspx

Some of the vision problem that caused by diabetes include frequent vision fluctuations, reduced vision due to the damage of optic nerve, impermanent paralysis of eye muscles, diabetic retinopathy and double vision. Moreover, people with diabetes are more prone to developing eye cataract even at a very young age. Cataract is an eye disorder that develops due to natural aging process but for a diabetic patient it becomes a symptom of the diabetes itself.

As mentioned above, diabetes can cause a lot of problem to the eyes but the most significant complication is none other than ‘diabetic retinopathy.’ The damages start with the tiny blood vessels that circulate the eyes; this can lead to swelling, clogging, weakening and finally total loss of vision. Vision loss can also happen when the blood and fluid leak to the vitreous at the back of the eye and form scar tissues. When this happens, abnormal blood vessels might develop on the retina and which make the matter worse.

When this occurs, light will not be able reach the retina and this will result a complete darkness. Other symptoms that might happen under this condition include seeing flashing light, floating objects, blurry vision, rings or blank spots in the vision or even experiencing extreme pain and pressure in the eyes (this symptom also happens in glaucoma). Damages to the retina will often lead to double vision.

It may only be one of the eyes that is seriously affected or even both. Since diabetic patients are more prone to various eye problems, it is highly recommended that regular or scheduled eye care checkup be made. Early detection and treatment is crucial in delaying or reducing the symptoms of the problem.

Besides regular eye checks, a diabetic patient should also follow or monitor his or her diet strictly. Never consume food that high in calories and sugar since this will only make thing worst, however, this is the hardest challenge that faced by most patients. Apart from healthy diet that specially formulated for diabetes, the patients should also avoid smoking and alcohol. These two have also been identified as the contributing factors of eye cataract and glaucoma.

Basically when cataracts happen to develop, the natural lens of the eye will need to be replaced and which, this is particularly true when the cataract has reached the ripen stage (a condition where it interferes the patient daily activities to a very extreme and which might also lead to blindness if nothing is done to it). The implant lens will restore the eye’s normal focusing ability, just as how a natural lens does its job. Sometimes, after the initial surgery, the capsule that supports the lens can become cloudy again, which leads the patient to undergo a second laser surgery to open the cloudy capsule and restoring the vision back to normal again. This is known as secondary cataract, which is not risky and safer to remove.

Cataract surgery has helped millions of people around the world to regain their vision and indeed this is the best method for cataract treatment. However, there are not all people who have the monetary funding and/or health insurance coverage for this purpose. A cataract surgery might cost as high as US3,000 dollars for each operating eye and for those who can’t afford it often have to live with it until the cataract develops into a stage where it interferes with their daily lives and eventually lead to blindness.

Eye Drops for Cataracts

Latest research in eye medical field has discovered an alternative solution to cataract surgery. Instead of going for expensive surgery, there are now easy-to-use cataract eye drops formula that can dissolve the cataracts naturally. This eye drops formula contains N-acetyl-carnosine (NAC) – which researchers have found out that this ingredient can be used to act as an antioxidant that can enter the lens tissue when prepared at an effective concentration. To learn more about NAC, pls follow this link: http://www.eyecataractsurgery.org/NAC-Development

NAC has even been proposed in various studies as an effective treatment for ocular disorders that feature a component of oxidative stress in their make-up (which is the cause of the ailments). These include glaucoma, ocular inflammation, corneal disorder, retinal degeneration, diabetes mellitus complications and systemic disease.

Not only human will develop cataract as domestic animals such as home pets like cats and dogs would also develop cataracts as part of their aging process. These eye drops which are specially formulated for the use of people and pets are definitely 100 percent hypoallergenic. A pet owner has even tried this cataract eye drop formula to her dog which is totally blind due to cataract. And so they are absolutely safe to be used and can effectively eliminate or at least reduce cataracts without undergoing surgery. This is true especially during the early stage of the cataract formation.

Eyesight is one of the most important parts of every living being as without it, the world is just a piece of darkness. Now with this cataract eye drops – NAC formula eye drops, many cataract sufferers can rediscover the world around without needing to undergo expensive eye cataract surgical procedure. If you or someone that you know have developed cataract, why not try out the NAC cataract eye drops? Note that no prescription is necessary. Try it particular when the eye cataract is still in its infant stage as the possibility to recover naturally is higher.

Topical anesthesia is very helpful in eliminating the need of the patient to bear painful injection. In the past, surgery was done by getting an injection directly into the eye, which causes a lot of pain and risk. Now with topical anesthesia, the whole operation which usually lasts for around 15 minutes is performed without the need of an injection but instead using only eye drops. The great benefit of topical anesthesia is that the patient does not need to bear the risk and pain as in normal surgical procedure. Moreover, the results from using this technique are much faster and satisfying. The patient can even go home after resting for some times at the hospital and without a patch.

The second most important development in this field is the introduction of better and more advanced of intraocular lens or IOLs and new software technology that being used in a surgery procedure. In the past, a cataract surgery is done by simply removing the cloudy lens from the eye. But as technology advanced, anterior chamber intraocular lenses were developed and these artificial lenses were implanted in the front of the iris to replace the removed clouded lens. These lenses had worked extremely well, however, over time the cornea would be damaged due to vibration of the lenses that caused by aqueous fluid from the back of the eye that moves toward the front.  This process results in swollen cornea and cloudy vision.

To deal with the problem, posterior chambers intraocular lenses were soon developed. Unlike the previous artificial lenses which were placed in the front of the iris, these intraocular lenses were instead placed behind the iris. This new placement structure eliminates the vibrations and thus, preventing the cornea from further damage. Over the years of continuous improvements, better quality, smaller, softer and flexible lenses were introduced. These lenses can be implanted with very small incision and which this could reduce the risk during surgery and which at the same time also shorten the recovery time.

The sole purpose of the standard IOLs is to treat cataract and enable the patients to have their vision back. This lens does not cure or rectify any other vision problem besides cataract. And to overcome this problem, multifocal intraocular lenses were introduced. These types of lenses were designed to provide the patients full range of vision from distant to near without or reduce the need of eyeglasses to assist in seeing. Since multifocal IOLs is better and more advanced, they will cost more compare to standard IOLs.

Although cataracts surgery is the safest among all surgical procedures (with the average success rate of 95%), that doesn’t mean that there is absolutely no risk involved. Any surgery can be risky or even frightening and so, eye cataract surgery is not an exceptional too. The only difference is that the risk is someone very small and not frequent. In other words, the possibility for any risk to happen during and after surgery is very minimal.

If you are a prime candidate for an eye cataract surgery procedure, the first thing that you should is to discuss thoroughly with your ophthalmologist. Once it is confirmed or determined that a cataracts surgery is beneficial to you, it is then time to discuss about the whole process of the treatment; what will happen during and after the surgery. You will be informed about every little thing that you should know about the whole procedure and what are the impacts that it could have in your life.

The surgery is done quite fast and it could be as fast as 15 minutes, however, that also depends on your eye cataract situation. Normally, you will be informed about it prior to the surgery, particular about the complexity and complications that might happen if the condition is not so good. You can read more about it at cataracts complications.

Prior to the surgery, your doctor will place a few drops of eye drops into your eye to dilate your pupils and a local anesthetic is then administered to numb the area. As this is a nerve-wracking experience that might frighten certain people, a sedative might sometimes be given to help the patient to relax. During the surgery, the clouded lens that causes your cataract will be removed with using a laser probe. This surgical appliance will break up the cloudy layer and the fragments will then be absorbed using a suction. Once this is done, an artificial lens or intraocular lens (IOL) will be implanted to replace the natural lens.

The whole cataracts surgery procedure is considered done when the artificial lens is successfully implanted. Normally you will be able to walk out from the hospital after resting for a few hours and/or upon certified by the doctor that you are indeed alright. It is best that you have someone to accompany you home after the surgery. You won’t know what will happen after that.

Although no one can guarantee that eye exercises can fix all vision problems, a vast majority of vision problems such as myopia or far sighted or even both can be improved or cured altogether naturally. There are already people who have done it and this is certainly not a myth.

One of the important facts that you should know is more and more people are getting corrective lenses or eye wear aids nowadays compare to decades ago. What is the cause for such dramatic increase of deteriorating vision?

The answer is none other than lifestyle. In today lives, people will either stick to their big TV set or the computer screen when they have nothing to do. Well, this does not include work and if it does, we most probably spend a lot of time staring and straining our eyes on these monitors. Imagine what will happen to our eyesight for years to come if it has not happened yet.

It is also very important to understand that while using eye aids or corrective glasses can aid our daily lives; continuous use, however, could cause our eyes to become lazy.  This will cause the eyes to deteriorate even more as the lesser that we use the lens muscle, the weaker that it will become over time. Thus, the vision will become worsen as time pass and stronger lenses will need to be prescribed year after year. And finally, we will end up with a tougher life as the glasses will become part of life as without it, we could not even see the world around us.

The eyes are just like any other organ or part of the body and they DO also need exercise and enough of relaxation. Having enough of relaxation and exercises will not only strengthen but also improve the eyes overall health. When the eyes muscles are trained, they will become stronger again over time and that means we could decrease our dependence on eye aids or contact lenses.

Now with that in mind, when was the last time that you have performed any eye exercises to improve vision? Well, it would most probably be ‘no’. Most people are either not aware or neglect the fact that eye exercises can really improve the vision.

One of the most common eye exercises to improve vision is known as the ‘palming’ technique. Palming is a good technique that you can use to not only allow your eyes to relax but also alleviate problems such as eye strain, which sometimes can lead to extreme headache and migraines. This normally happens if you don’t get enough of sleep but yet have to strain your eye when performing your daily tasks.

Palming only takes a few minutes of your time and you can do this by sitting comfortably while at the same time covering your eyes with your hands. Prior to that, you will need to rub your hands until they become warm. While you are resting, try to visualize something that create the sense of total relaxation; this is essential so that your mind won’t run and you are truly relax during this time. By the way, this is also one of the fundamental eye exercises to improve vision and so you can practice it now.

Although some of you might not even know about it, eye exercises for vision improvement have been practiced around the world for many decades now and they were originally devised by the founder, Dr William H Bates. They have since been perfected overtime and perhaps you might have even heard of ‘The Bates Method’ – this refers to the eye exercises that Dr Bates discovered.

However, unlike an intraocular lens which will replace the eye’s natural lens completely, an implantable contact lens is just an additional lens that placed into the eye to work together with the eye’s natural lens.

Intraocular lens is basically used when the natural lens could no longer work and needed a replacement such as in the case of eye cataract. On the other hand, implantable contact lenses are used for the sole purpose of rectifying the vision problems, in which the natural eye lens is still in a good condition but rather requires correction in the angle of vision. Well, it works just how a normal contact lens does its job.

Implantable contact lenses procedure is quite a simple surgery and you can rest assured that it is very safe (there is still risk involved but it varies for different individual case, please consult your doctor for more advices). Moreover, unlike any other lens replacement surgery, these types of lenses can be removed without doing any damage to the natural lens and so if the patient does not feel comfortable with it, he or she always can have it removed without any problem.

This surgery rarely cause any discomfort issue as it is quite the same as wearing a pair of normal contact lenses. For that, if the patient does not have any issue with contact lens, he or she should be alright with implantable contact lenses.

Quite normally, the doctor will only implant one lens at a time before proceeding to the next one. The reason for this is to provide the patient with a period of settling time so that the patient can make use of it before proceed with the other eye. However, the doctor will still perform surgery on both eyes at the same time under special request from the patient. Patient will able to see clearly once the procedures are done. And most importantly, he or she does not need to rely on the contact lens for temporary vision correction.

When should I undergo the cataract removal surgery?
There are many people who believe that cataracts can only be removed when it has reached a certain stage, which is usually a highly advanced stage where blindness could happen at anytime. This is actually not true. You do not have to wait until the situation has become worse in which it might pose a potential threat to your vision. A cataract removal surgery could be performed as soon as your doctor feels that your vision has started interfere with the quality of your life. You could also decide when you want it to be removed at anytime that you feel is right; most probably when you are beginning to feel uncomfortable with it.

Can cataracts be treated without a surgery?
Well, the actual answer is no. From the medical point of view, this is not possible. You could, however, try to consume foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients that  are good for eyes. See if it has any effect onto the cataracts but please only try this if the cataracts is still at the infant stage. You can read more about this at Cataract Removal without Surgery.

Can cataracts left unattended?
Unless you want to lose your vision, you have to do something with it. The clouding layer of your lens will become thicker and larger over time and thus, making your sight to become worse. This could take anywhere from a few months to many years for that to happen. Eventually, the entire lens will be covered with the clouding layer and lead to total blindness. During the intermediate time, you still could function normally, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your life and job.

Who performs the cataract removal surgery?
Only a certified ophthalmologist who has undergone special training in eye surgery can perform cataract procedures.

How do I choose the right intraocular lens implant?
You don’t have to worry about this issue as your doctor will know what works best for you. However, under certain circumstances and advices from your doctor, you can choose between the normal intraocular lens and the multifocal lenses which can offer less dependence on glasses after the surgery.

What are the recommended brand for multifocal IOL?
Your doctor surgeon will advise you on the brand that is best for you.  Some of the trusted brands that are available in the market include AcrySof^® ReSTOR^® IQ IOL, the Tecnis^® Multifocal IOL, or the accommodating Crystalens^®.

What is the cost of a cataract surgery?
This varies depend on the doctor that performs the surgery and also the type of intraocular lens that you choose. However, the cost for a normal procedure cost around three thousands and five hundreds dollar for each eye if you are paying cash. If you have a medical card, you can ask if this type or surgery is covered and until what extent.

What are the common types of cataract removal surgery?
The common methods used in the surgery include Phacoemulsification, Extracapsular Cataract Surgery and Intracapsular Cataract Surgery. For normal cases, Phacoemulsification will be used and if the conditions are more severe the latter two will be considered. You can read Cataract Removal Surgery for more info.

Is an eye cataract surgery safe?
You could rest assured that this type of surgery is very safe. Statistics has shown that the overall success rate of cataract surgery is as high as 95 percent; indeed the highest among all types of surgeries. This gets even better with continuous innovations in medical technology.

Can cataracts come back even after the surgery?
Cataracts are not a contagious disease and once it is removed, it can never return. However, there is a possibility that the patient may develop the same clouding layer over time. In medical term, this is not a real cataract but rather a side effect that happens onto the intraocular lens, which is quite common among all cases.  This condition is known as ‘Secondary Cataract‘ and it can be treated by a simple laser procedure that takes less than ten minutes. It is even safer than the original cataract removal surgery.

Glaucoma is known to be caused by a fluid that happens to build up inside the eyes and which , this auses the increase of intraocular pressure or ‘IOP’. When this happens, the optic nerves will get damaged which could lead to vision loss.

There are two main types of glaucoma (which are quite common to happen); (i) Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) and (ii) Angle Closure Glaucoma. The difference between these two is their onset and these are marked by the increase of intraocular pressure. The former type is much more chronic compares to the latter one.

Primary open angle glaucoma develops very slowly over time and sometimes it comes even without noticeable sight loss for several years. Thus, by the time that it reveals itself, it might already have become too severe. Primary Open Angle Glaucoma usually responds well to medication, especially if it is discovered and treated early.

On the other hand, Angle Closure Glaucoma normally shows severe symptoms even during the early stage. The patient will notice that something is not quite right with their eyes and early diagnosis definitely will reveal the actual eye problem. Although angle closure glaucoma seems to be more severe compares to POAG, it is actually much easier to handle and the chances of being cured via surgery is higher and long lasting. Some of the symptoms of this glaucoma include headache, extreme pain in eyes, blurred vision, rainbows light at night, nausea and vomiting, among others.

There is actually no cure for glaucoma at the moment. However, medication or surgery (particular during the initial stage) can slow and control the symptoms of this disease, thus, preventing further of vision loss. Different types of glaucoma require different types of treatment and early detection is essential to hinder the progress of the disease.

Who are mostly at risk for glaucoma?

If you come from East Asia or Africa, the chances of getting glaucoma will be much higher. This is due to past researches show that there is actually a link between one’s race and the eye disease.  Hypertension is also one of the common factors that trigger the symptoms of glaucoma. People who feel stress all the day need to be mindful about this.

As said, scientist and medical researchers have not found a cure for glaucoma yet and so what are available at the moment are only remedies. Surgery and medication can only prevent further development of this disease but they do not promise a lifetime cure. The known glaucoma remedies are only for deterring the progress of the fluid build-up in the eyes; they do not, however, remove the source of the said build-up.

One of the remedies that can do a lot of help to this eye condition is removal of caffeine intake in your diet. Caffeine was found to be the cause of the veins constriction and which further leads to the increase of intraocular pressure. This might not be 100 percent true but it is highly advisable for people that suffering from glaucoma to stop or reduce the intake of caffeine.

Patient with glaucoma is also recommended to do eye exercise regularly. In fact, eye exercise can improve your eye sight whether you have glaucoma or not. Exercising the eyes is actually a method used to strengthen the eye muscles and make it depends less on eyewear if any.

The purpose of a normal eye cataract surgery is to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an intraocular lens that would restore the patient’s ability to see. In order words, it is a purely medical approach that restores the patient’s vision back as it was prior to that cataract development. For that, even after the patient has recovered from the surgery, he or she will still need the aid of eyeglasses or contact lens.

This is, however, different with refractive cataract surgery. It has a goal that is much more aggressive compares to a traditional cataract surgery. This procedure will not only help the patients to regain their vision but also greatly reduce their need for corrective eyewear, after recovering from the surgery. This surgery is basically more of corrective in nature and it is able to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Refractive Cataract Surgery is a new breakthrough in vision correction field and it is definitely a good news for the cataract patients.

Refractive cataract surgery is quite popular in the States because of its effectiveness and efficiency that guarantees a success rate of 90% during the surgery. Besides, the surgery can be performed either to change the outer surface of the eye or the internal optic of the eye. This is done by choosing the right intraocular lens to replace the lens of the patient’s eyes. Basically, it depends on the condition of the patient’s eyes and the type of lens that he wants.

The use of premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) is the key development of refractive technique. These premium IOLs are specially designed in such a way that they have the capability to provide good uncorrected visual acuity at almost all distances after the surgery and thus, eliminating or reducing the need for eye glasses.

In some cases and as a preventive measure, the patient who develops a cataract in one eye may choose to have a premium IOL implanted on both eyes (even on the unaffected eye). This procedure of replacing a natural lens that has yet to have a cataract with a refractive intraocular lens is known as refractive lens exchange or for short, RLE.

There are several benefits of combining an eye cataract surgery in one eye and a RLE procedure in the other. These include:

• Enhance the overall refractive result for better and more comfortable binocular vision. It balances both the vision capability and which makes seeing the world through your eyes a better experience.
• Eliminating the need of corrective eyewear for both eyes after the surgery.
• A preventive measure so that cataract won’t be developing in the eye with the clear natural lens in the future.

There are two types of premium intraocular lenses that are currently used for refractive cataract surgery at the moment:

1. Toric IOL – Toric lens corrects astigmatism or farsightedness. This is the most common eye problem that people face and residual astigmatism is the main reason why people who have undergone a conventional eye cataract surgery still need to depend on eyeglasses
2. Presbyopia-Correcting IOL – Presbyopia is an eye problem where people are having the problem of focusing on close up thing or nearsightedness. This problem normally arises for people who have passed the 40 years mark. However, this also seem to be the problem that faced by younger people who sustain a cataract before becoming presbyopic. Conventional cataract surgery uses conventional lenses that do not have the ability to change shape to focus light for near vision and this is what make them lose their near focusing ability.

Although a refractive cataract surgery might seem to be a good option, you will still need to consult with your doctor first. See what he has to say about it and if it is right for you. Your doctor will run a set of tests to accurately determine the problem with your eyes and the degree of the refractive errors of them. Besides, a refractive surgery is quite expensive compares to the conventional one. And so if money is your concern, go check it up with your insurance company and ask about the level of coverage that your insurance plan provides.