Cataracts are a very common, age-related condition. In fact, they affect approximately half of all Americans by age 80. As you age, the lens of your eye can harden and get denser and tissues can break down. As the tissues clump together, a clouding of the lens occurs. This clouding of the eyes is known as cataracts.
If left untreated, they can lead to severe vision loss or even blindness. Fortunately, they tend to develop slowly. This allows time to recognize the symptoms and seek treatment before too much damage has been done. Watch out for the following warning signs, as they can all indicate the presence or progression of cataracts.
Early symptoms of cataracts
- Seeing halos around lights
- Light sensitivity that doesn’t clear up quickly
- Eyeglass prescriptions that change frequently
- Appearance of a brown or yellow tint in your vision
Vision exams are essential to diagnose cataracts
The earlier cataracts are detected, the better the chance for effective management. Often times, people delay an eye exam, assuming their changes in vision are simply a natural result of aging. Unfortunately, this can lead to a progression of the symptoms of cataracts and a higher chance of surgery being required to treat them.
One important way to ensure that cataracts (and other vision disorders) are diagnosed early is to commit to annual vision exams. During this exam, we will perform the appropriate tests to determine your visual acuity and examine your lens for signs of cataracts. Seeing us regularly allows us to note any changes since your last visit and make recommendations for treatment or management as soon as these variations are detected.
Treatment of cataracts
While surgery is the only true form of treatment to eliminate cataracts, there are less-invasive ways to minimize the effects. For example, you can make changes at home to make daily life easier. Increasing the lighting in the house, wearing anti-glare sunglasses, or using a magnifier for reading can all help. In fact, there are many resources available for living with low vision. Implementing easy adjustments in your house, like keeping clutter to a minimum to avoid tripping or using clocks with large numbers can help you live with any new vision loss. And of course, another solution is to get your prescription glasses adjusted to accommodate changing vision due to cataracts.
At Family Vision Development Center, we will monitor your vision, advise on the best options to manage your symptoms, or suggest surgery to remove the cataracts when appropriate. Additionally, we can ensure that you have the most accurate and up-to-date prescription for your eyeglasses. During your visits, we will make sure you have a cataract treatment plan in place and will explain all of your options, including the possibility of surgery if your cataracts start to interfere too much with your quality of life.
Contact our Aurora office at 630-862-2020 to learn more or to schedule your appointment.
Family Vision Development Center is a full-service vision center offering innovative vision therapy services, post-concussive vision rehabilitation, comprehensive vision exams for eyeglasses and contact lenses, management of ocular diseases including glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and cataracts, and a state-of-the-art optical center offering the latest designs in eyewear. We are dedicated to keeping our patients comfortable and well-informed and we will explain every exam and procedure and answer all of your questions. We accept both scheduled and emergency appointments, and offer convenient financing and insurance options to ensure that high-quality vision care is available and affordable to all of our patients.
If you have noticed that your child is having difficulty at school and it is not because of a lack of trying, the surprising solution could be to correct their vision. Even children that are interested in learning, and want to succeed in school, can have serious difficulty accomplishing that if they have underlying vision issues. When a child gets frustrated in school, it is very common for them to simply stop trying. So, it’s important to give them all the tools they need to be as successful as they want to be. That would include getting a comprehensive vision exam to ensure their vision is as healthy as it can be.
Signs of a vision problem at school
Vision disorders are not always obvious, so your child may have a vision issue without even being aware of it. However, there are certain signs to watch for that can indicate a problem. If you notice any of the following, while your child is in school or at home, it would be wise to have them evaluated for a possible vision disorder.
- Your child has poor hand-eye coordination, which may be evident in poor handwriting, motor coordination, athletic performance, etc.
- Your child has problems walking or running, and frequently drops objects or bumps into things
- Your child holds a book or object unusually close
- Your child closes one eye or covers the eye with his/her hand
- Your child omits or confuses small words when reading
- Your child reverses words when reading (e.g., “no” for “on”) or transposes numbers (e.g., “21” for “12”)
- Your child complains frequently of headaches, eyestrain, nausea, dizziness and/or motion sickness
- Your child frequently avoids or objects to doing homework
- Your child exhibits behavior problems in school
There are many more behaviors that can indicate a potential vision problem. Contact our office at 630-862-2020 to request a complimentary Children’s Vision Checklist. This handy checklist will provide an even more comprehensive list of signs and symptoms to watch for, along with information on how to proceed if you suspect a problem.
Vision therapy solution for school struggles
It can be very discouraging when your child is struggling in school, but there is hope! Many vision disorders can be very effectively corrected through a personalized vision therapy program. This type of therapy involves using specific eye exercises that help retrain the eyes and brain to communicate better. It can help correct issues such as:
- Amblyopia – This disorder, also called “lazy eye”, occurs when the eyes and brain do not work together properly. As a result, the brain will choose to use only one eye as its primary source of visual information. The other eye will “shut off” and will not be used very often, or at all. Usually this results in one eye not being able to see 20/20. Sometimes this will cause the eye to drift in or out, but many times it remains perfectly straight.
- Strabismus – This is another type of common vision disorder that results from the brain having difficulty using both eyes at the same time. If the stress of using both eyes together becomes too challenging, the brain will often allow one of the eyes to turn out or turn in to remove the problem, since using one is less confusing. This differs from Amblyopia in that both eyes have the ability to see 20/20 but not at the same time.
- Convergence Insufficiency – This condition is characterized by the inability to move and focus both eyes inward on near objects comfortably.
- Accommodative Disorder – This type of disorder affects a child’s ability to focus their eyes properly. This happens particularly at near distances or when switching focus from near to far away.
If a child is experiencing any of the above vision conditions, they could have trouble with focusing, reading, writing, concentrating on homework, or shifting their focus from close work at their desk to activities at the front of the classroom.
At Family Vision Development Center, we want to help your child succeed in school and in life. Our vision therapy programs can be life-changing to a struggling child. Contact us at 630-862-2020 to schedule an appointment or to request your Children’s Vision Checklist!
Family Vision Development Center is a full-service vision center offering innovative vision therapy services, post-concussive vision rehabilitation, comprehensive vision exams for eyeglasses and contact lenses, management of ocular diseases including glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and cataracts, and a state-of-the-art optical center offering the latest designs in eyewear.
