Do I Need New Reading Glasses Or Cataract Surgery?
Are your reading glasses letting you down? Does your vision seem blurry or fuzzy when it once was clear? Maybe it’s time to invest in a new pair of glasses.
Or maybe you’re starting to develop cataracts, and it’s time to consider cataract surgery. Keep reading to learn more about reading glasses and cataract surgery and find out which you need.
Why Do You Need Glasses?
Your eyes lose the ability to focus on close objects, especially text, as you get older. With this loss of up-close focusing ability, words become blurry and hard to see.
You may get eye pain or headaches after concentrating on any up-close work, like sewing or reading. Presbyopia is the medical term for this age-related eye condition.
Presbyopia is the stiffening of your natural lens. This loss of flexibility takes away your lens’s ability to elongate to focus on objects up-close.
It is something that affects most people, usually starting in your forties. Of course, some people are lucky enough not to need reading glasses, but most people do.
You may find that you can manage well with drug store readers. These glasses act as a magnifier to allow you to see close objects more easily.
If you already wear glasses, you’re probably better off getting prescription reading glasses. Check with your eye doctor to discuss which is a better fit for you.
Your vision could be different from one eye to the other, and as you get older, your eyesight will change. Your eye doctor will help you manage the symptoms and determine how to give you clear vision.
How Do You Know If You Have Cataracts?
Getting regular eye exams is the easiest way to know when you start to develop cataracts. Your eye doctor will track their progression and let you know when it’s time for cataract surgery.
Cataracts are common in adults in their sixties and seventies. They are another part of the natural aging process that your body goes through.
But you can get cataracts if you are younger and are at a higher risk for them. Some risk factors are:
- Diabetes
- Having a family history of cataracts
- Excessive exposure to the sun and harmful UV rays
- Smoking
- High Blood Pressure
- Obesity
- Eye injury
- Inflammation in your eye
Cataracts occur when proteins in the natural lens in your eye begin to break down and clump together. This clumping causes your lenses to get cloudier as they continue to develop.
They make your vision blurry and cloudy over time, and colors may seem dull. In addition, if left untreated, cataracts can cause vision loss.
It’s also possible to have a cataract in one eye but not the other. You may discover that closing one eye while focusing allows you to see more clearly.
This is not something you should do for long periods, though, even if it helps you focus. It doesn’t fix the problem and strains the eye you are focusing with.
If you’ve experienced any of the following, you may have a cataract:
- Your eye prescription has changed a lot recently
- You see halos and glares while driving at night
- Reading has become more difficult
- Bright lights cause you to squint and give you a headache
- Colors seem faded and not as vivid as usual
- Your vision is blurry or cloudy
If you’re concerned that you may need stronger reading glasses, it could be time for cataract surgery. Schedule an appointment at Pinke Eye Center in Shelton, CT, to figure out if you need new reading glasses or are developing cataracts.
