I
can see clearly now the rain is gone
I
can see all obstacles in my way
Gone
are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's
gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day
By Nurse Diane
Do
you think when Johnny Nash wrote the words to this song that he, or someone in
his life had cataracts? A friend of mine
recently had his eyes examined, and there was a mention of cataract surgery in
his future. I let him know that the
sooner he has it done, the faster he will heal and have a complete recovery.
A
cataract is a film that develops slowly over time behind the lens of the
eye. It clouds your vision much like
dirty windows cloud images. They can
occur at any time, from childhood to adulthood.
They even occur in animals. It is
not sure what causes cataracts; some culprits include exposure to radiation and
ultraviolet lights. Other factors
include a side effect from other diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or
iodine deficiency. Old age, trauma and
side effects from medication also account for causes of cataracts.
There
is no known prevention for Cataracts. It
has been suggested that regular intake of antioxidants (such as vitamins A, C
and E) is helpful, but taking them as a supplement has not been shown to have a
benefit.
The
treatment for cataracts is a simple surgery done under a local anesthetic and
the patient is allowed to return home the same day. While in nursing school I was allowed to
observe cataract surgery. Fluid is
injected into the eye making it soft and squishy. The lens of the eye is then removed, and the
film is lifted out. The lens is
replaced, and the eye covered until healed.
Eye drops are sent home to help to promote healing.
June is Cataract
Awareness Month. If you are over the age of 40, and haven't
had your eyes checked recently, now would be a good time to make an appointment
to get checked out to make sure you don’t have any problems brewing.
(Photos from Google)
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