When it comes to cataracts, it may seem like there’s only one treatment option: surgery. While cataract surgery removes cataracts, it shouldn’t be your only option for treatment. After all, it can take years or even decades for a cataract to develop! If you suspect that you are experiencing cataract symptoms, schedule a consultation at one of our 3 Jacksonville locations today!
If you know you have a cataract, consider making healthy lifestyle changes. Are you a smoker? Quit immediately! If you smoke, you could cause your cataract to develop faster. Smoking is one of the worst things you can do when you have cataracts. This is because smoking introduces more free radicals in your eyes. Free radicals harm cells and can contribute to cataract development. Even if you’re not a smoker, there are things you can do to be healthier.
An easy place to start is by eating more leafy, green vegetables. This includes kale, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. To be as healthy as possible, try to get five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. It sounds like a lot but if you incorporate them into salads, sides, and smoothies, it doesn’t take very much work at all!
To keep your eyes healthy, you should add more omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. In other words, you’ll want more fish in your diet. This includes salmon, mackerel, oysters, anchovies, and caviar. If you’re not big on fish, there are other foods you can eat as well like flaxseed, walnuts, and soybeans. Can’t see yourself adding these into your diet? You can take omega-3 supplements as well!
If you have a cataract that hasn’t impeded your vision, you can get a stronger prescription. This is true for both glasses and contacts. One of the common cataract symptoms is having a prescription that’s constantly changing. As long as your prescription is still helping you see, you don’t need cataract surgery. In fact, for some patients, their cataract may never fully develop! This means that they may never need cataract surgery.
Having a cataract means that it needs to go through several stages of development. As a cataract grows, it continues getting larger and larger. So when does cataract surgery actually become necessary? Most cataract surgeons recommend cataract surgery when you can no longer see at all. Having a cataract that has impeded your vision also makes completing activities difficult. This can include any number of tasks like:
Cataract surgery should be seen as the last treatment option for cataracts. There are plenty of other options that can delay the need to undergo cataract surgery. If you’ve tried the above options and can’t see, it’s time to discuss cataract surgery. After cataract surgery, get ready to see the world in bright technicolor once more!
Ready to schedule your cataract surgery? Contact Bowden Eye & Associates in Jacksonville, Florida today!
7205 Bentley Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32256
12341 Yellow Bluff Rd #4
Jacksonville, FL 32226
206 Ashourian Ave. #215
St. Johns, FL 32092
