I Can See Clearly Now
I left you with some questions I had to ponder and have gotten a couple more. Then I’ll leave you with the answer I posed to my ocular surgeon.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is not just a single ocular disease; there are several types. Some are related to how well the eyes drain fluid; some drain slowly while others seem to get plugged. The key to limiting damage is to get the pressure down by draining excess fluid. While there are still more types, the most important thing is to know your family history. There’s genetic testing available, but it’s not always predictive of what will happen to an individual, because some forms of glaucoma are caused by a combination of genetic factors.
Regular ocular pressure tests are the best way to find out whether the pressure in the eye is normal or not. If I had not gone in to get new glasses, I would not have gotten a diagnosis until later and may have lost even more vision.
Cataracts
There’s really nothing you can do to prevent cataracts because it’s partially a function of aging. However, you can protect your eyes by wearing UV protection sunglasses to reduce the impact of sunlight; it’s always better the earlier you start, so keep that in mind with the kids and grandkids. Other steps we can take are to quit smoking and keep blood sugar under control.
Two questions I’ve gotten are about the types of lenses and the cost. I got the simplest mono-focal intraocular lenses because my distant vision was my primary concern. The glaucoma created the need for reading glasses to balance both eyes.
If you’ve always worn corrective lenses, those issues can be addressed depending on the type of lenses. The person who knows that best would be your ophthalmologist. The cost will vary depending on what you want the lens to do. It also depends on the type of health insurance coverage you have. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has a Q&A on lenses at the link below. It’s obvious to me that eyecare is a good investment because it affects your quality of life and productivity.
The Bottom Line
I asked my surgeon the question about how to prevent cataracts and glaucoma. He thought about it and said prevention can be tenuous, so the best thing to do to keep your vision as long as you can is to get regular eye exams every year; that will protect your vision as well as keeping your glasses up to date to reduce eye strain. That seems like sound advice to me. Just another step to improve our healthspan.
What are you prepared to do today?
Dr. Chet
Reference: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/best-artificial-lens-implant-iol-cataract-surgery
