Life expectancy of humans globally in the past used to be 50 years old. Luckily with better medical treatment, good healthcare and healthy lifestyle as decades goes by, humans are able to live longer and better. The mean number of life expectancy in Malaysia is around 72 years old. However, as this number increases, so will the risk of acquiring many diseases related to ageing that could lead to disability.
One of the diseases that is almost definite for every elderly is cataract. Cataract is defined as an eye disorder causing eyesight problems due to the cloudy lens. As we know, a clear lens of the eye helps us to see clearly. In elderly, the protein inside of the lens breaks down and creates clumps which we see as cloudy eyes. This is a normal process due to ageing and it happens gradually. So, one might not realise they have cataracts until it started to cause them to see blurry images, yellow and dull images or distorted ghostly images.
What is the treatment for cataract? The only reliable and most effective treatment is cataract surgery. This is especially true for severe cases of cataract. In the surgery, the eye surgeon will remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a new artificial clear lens called intraocular lens (IOL). This surgery is totally safe and 9 out of 10 people going for the surgery have better eyesight and vision. Surgery might seem scary to most elder people but rest assured that cataract surgery is a very minimal invasive procedure, relatively quick and not required hospitalisation in general after a successful surgery.
Have you ever wondered why not all old people have the same level of cataract even the age among them is not much different? For example, a 60 years old woman’s eyes are almost fully clouded while a 63 years old woman’s eyes are partially cloudy. Progression of cataract depends on several factors, despite the normal ageing process being the main cause. Risk of cataract increase if a person:
1-has other diseases such as diabetes or hypertension
2-long exposure of sunlight
3-history of eye injury or eye surgery
4-bad lifestyle such as smoking and excessive alcohol drinking
5-existing cataract in other family member
6-taking steroids for a long period
Hence, knowing the risk factor might help us be more careful in taking care of our eyes. There is no doubt, prevention is better than cure. Formation of cataract can be slowed down by taking some measure:
1-Avoid getting exposed to sunlight for too long and wear sunglasses with a hat to block the sun.
2-Practice healthy eating habits with balanced nutritional food
3-Avoid unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking and drinking alcohol
4-Routine eye check up especially after 60 years old, once in two years
Since sometimes it is not that easy to get all the nutrients from food, taking supplements can help cover what is needed by the body. Taking supplements enriched with antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals can help enhance eye health and prevent damages to the eye. Supplements are necessary in modern days to cope with the free radical damages due to our daily life exposed to everyday stress and gadget screen lights. Eurobio Biovizmax capsule can help you achieve that as it contains lutein and zeaxanthin that helps reduce damage to the eye’s retina. Vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and many more antioxidants help prevent damage to the eye and improve immune health overall. Fish oil formulated in the capsule helps all cells in the body including the eye for better development.