Cataracts are a common cause of blurry or cloudy vision, especially as we age. A cataract occurs when the normally clear lens inside your eye becomes cloudy, making it harder for light to pass through. Over time, cataracts can make reading, driving at night, and seeing fine details more difficult. At Med Center Eye, we provide cataract evaluation in Amarillo to monitor changes in your vision and help you decide when it’s time to consider cataract surgery.
If you’ve been diagnosed with cataracts, you may wonder if cataract surgery is right around the corner. Not to worry. There are many preventive steps you can take to slow the progression of cataracts and preserve your vision. That doesn’t mean you won’t eventually need surgery, but you can often delay the need for quite a while.
What Are Cataracts?
Inside your eye, there is a clear lens that helps focus light onto the retina. As you age, the proteins in this lens can clump together and cause clouding—this is a cataract. Cataracts can occur in one or both eyes, and they often progress slowly over many years.
Common symptoms of cataracts include:
- Cloudy, blurry, or dim vision
- Glare or halos around lights, especially at night
- Sensitivity to bright light
- Needing more light to read or do close work
- Colors appearing faded or yellowed
- Frequent changes in your glasses prescription
- Difficulty driving at night
If you’re noticing these changes, a cataract evaluation can help determine whether cataracts are the cause and how advanced they are.
Causes and Risk Factors for Cataracts
While aging is the most common cause of cataracts, other factors can contribute as well:
- Family history of cataracts
- Long-term exposure to UV sunlight
- Diabetes and certain other medical conditions
- Previous eye injuries or eye surgery
- Long-term use of steroid medications or steroid eye drops
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol use
- Diets high in processed carbohydrates and low in antioxidants
Wearing UV-blocking sunglasses, managing systemic health conditions, and keeping regular eye appointments can help reduce the impact of cataracts on your vision.
How to Slow Cataract Progression
Although cataracts generally continue to progress over time, there are meaningful steps you can take to help slow that progression and preserve your vision longer.
Protect Your Eyes from the Sun
The National Eye Institute recommends protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) and high-energy visible (HEV) rays by always wearing good-quality sunglasses while outdoors. Look for sunglasses that:
- Block 100% of UV rays
- Absorb most HEV rays
- Have large lenses or a close-fitting wraparound style
Remember that peak sun exposure hours are typically between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (or 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. during daylight savings time), and that the sun’s rays can penetrate clouds. In other words, you need your sunglasses every day.
Avoid or Monitor Steroid Eye Drops
Steroid eye drops are sometimes prescribed to treat dry eyes or inflammatory eye conditions. Unfortunately, they can also speed up the progression of cataracts. Talk to your optometrist about how you can manage both conditions without inadvertently making your cataracts worse or hastening the need for surgery.
Review Your Medications
There are hundreds of commonly prescribed medications with side effects that may impact cataract progression. Since your primary care physician may not have access to your eye doctor’s full records, be sure to ask whether your current medications could affect your cataracts. If you must stay on a medication that increases risk, it becomes even more important to avoid peak sunlight hours and to wear sunglasses consistently.
Quit Smoking
Smoking can double or even triple an individual’s risk of developing cataracts over time. If you’ve been a smoker, your habit may have contributed to your diagnosis. The good news is that by quitting now, you can help slow the progression of cataracts and support your overall eye health.
Follow Eye-Healthy Diet Guidelines
Studies have shown that certain vitamins and nutrients—especially antioxidants—may reduce age-related decline in eye health. If you’ve already been diagnosed with cataracts, adding antioxidant-rich foods to your diet can help slow progression. Examples include:
- Dark chocolate, blueberries, strawberries, and pecans
- Carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets
- Kale, spinach, and red cabbage
- Beans and other legumes
- Apples, plums, and other colorful fruits
Doctors also recommend eating more fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, which may be linked to a reduced risk of cataracts or their progression. You may also consider a multivitamin that contains vitamin C and vitamin E. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about a healthy eating plan designed to support both cataract prevention and overall health.
Fortunately, many of these diet changes can also help reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes. Diets rich in processed carbohydrates have been linked to an increased risk of both developing cataracts and speeding up their progression. It’s important to develop a plan that works for you and supports your holistic health.
Take control of your cataract diagnosis by getting regular eye exams, communicating with your doctor, and putting these tips into practice. You’ll support better vision and may prevent the need for cataract surgery in the near future.
Cataract Evaluation in Amarillo, TX
During a cataract evaluation at Med Center Eye, your doctor will perform a thorough eye exam and specific tests to assess the clarity of your lens and the health of the rest of your eye.
- Visual acuity testing: Measures how clearly you see at different distances.
- Slit-lamp examination: Allows your doctor to examine the lens and other structures of the eye under magnification.
- Dilated exam: Using drops to widen the pupil so the doctor can view the lens and retina more fully.
- Refraction: Determines whether updating your glasses prescription can improve your vision.
Based on these findings, your doctor will discuss how much the cataract is affecting your daily life and whether surgery is recommended now or can be safely postponed.
When Is Cataract Surgery Needed?
Cataract surgery is typically recommended when cataracts begin to interfere with your daily activities. If you’re having trouble reading, driving (especially at night), recognizing faces, or functioning comfortably in bright or dim light, it may be time to consider surgery.
Cataract surgery is one of the most common and successful procedures in modern medicine. During surgery, the cloudy lens is removed and replaced with a clear artificial lens (intraocular lens or IOL). Our doctors will refer you to a trusted cataract surgeon in Amarillo and coordinate your pre- and post-operative care.
Before surgery, we’ll help you understand your lens options, including lenses designed to reduce dependence on glasses for distance or near tasks.
Schedule a Cataract Evaluation in Amarillo
If you’re noticing cloudy vision, glare, or difficulty seeing at night, a cataract evaluation in Amarillo, TX can help you understand your options. At Med Center Eye, we’ll carefully assess your vision, explain your diagnosis, and guide you through the next steps if cataract surgery is recommended.
Call our office or request an appointment online to schedule your evaluation. We also offer ongoing ocular disease management for other conditions that affect your eyes and vision.
