Wellness

[CherryHugs]

This is from Your Sight Matters.

Foods that Fight Cataracts - Your Sight Matters

Foods that Fight Cataracts

Although the exact cause of cataracts is unclear, research suggests that free radicals, or oxidation, may be to blame. Free radicals are unstable chemicals formed in the body when we are exposed to environmental toxins. These harmful chemicals can be found in air, food and water. As pollutants increase in our environment, free radical damage is also on the rise. When free radicals come into contact with our cell membranes or DNA, they can cause cell weakness or cell death. Oxidation is linked to every degenerative disease such as cancer, heart disease, natural aging and cataracts. Oxidation can damage the proteins and enzymes in the lens of the eye and cause cataracts to form.

If free radicals are the villain, antioxidants are the ultimate superhero. Antioxidants are molecules that neutralize free radicals before cell damage occurs. The most prominent antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C and selenium. Since the body cannot synthesize antioxidants, they must be incorporated into the diet. This is the perfect time of year to find fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants that protect your eyes from cataracts.

Vitamin E has many other health benefits besides protection against cataracts. It protects your skin from UV rays, allows cells to communicate with one another and protects you from prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Good sources of vitamin E are sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, dark leafy greens, and papaya.

Beta-carotene is known to protect against cancer and aging as well as prevent cataract formation. Because it is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is best to pair your food source of beta carotene with a fat like nuts or oil to aid in absorption. The best sources of beta-carotene are sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, turnip and mustard greens, spinach, and butternut squash.

Vitamin C may be helpful in fighting cataracts by slowing their progression. The American Optometric Association recommends at least 250 mg of daily vitamin C for optimum eye health. Five servings of various fruits and vegetables provide 100 grams or more of this powerful antioxidant, but there are a few vitamin C superstars. The green hot chili pepper reigns supreme with an impressive 243 mg/100 g serving. If you like to kick up the heat, you can get all your daily vitamin C from just four of these spicy little guys! Other good sources of vitamin C are guavas, bell peppers, dark leafy greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, papaya and the poster child for vitamin C—the orange.

With the beautiful colors and varieties of fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants, you have many choices for healthy, nutritious foods to protect you from free-radical damage. Go treat yourself to a trip to the produce section of your grocery store or a local vegetable stand to keep those eyes healthy and keep cataracts away!

[CherryHugs]

[I am still oxox]

I had some sort of an anomaly with my eyes surgery in both eyes well before I turned 45

[shortbreadlover]

i had mine done last summer and it was the best thing i have ever done.  the dr was wonderful.  he corrected my eyesight so now i no longer have to wear glasses or contacts.

and i was almost blind from being nearsighted.

[lovesrecess]

I have cataracts and have put off the surgery as one I don't notice at all and the other one bothers me on,y occasionally; it is starting to effect driving at night so am going to go on and have the surgery this fall.  My brother had both eyes done a couple of years ago...he didn't get the more expensive lense and after a year, one of them failed and he had a huge black hole in his field of vision...the dr said that's what the basic lense usually does. He had to go in and have it removed and have the better lense inserted. Waste of money buying the first one. I am springing for the best one I can get.

[blackhole99]

My husband who is 75 had his cataracts removed via laser surgery that corrected his astigmatism and had some kind of lenses implanted called blended vision. He was able to read the newspaper without glasses a few days after the surgery and does not need glasses to drive. Of course medicare and supplemental insurance does not pay for laser cataract surgery. I'm 67 and my optometrist told me I have 37 year old eyes and probably will never have cataracts. I was never a sun worshipper and always wore sun glasses. Of course neither of my parents needed cataract surgery, but they died fairly young Mom 65, Dad 79. Good luck with your surgery.

[SeaMaiden]

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@blackhole99 wrote:

My husband who is 75 had his cataracts removed via laser surgery that corrected his astigmatism and had some kind of lenses implanted called blended vision. He was able to read the newspaper without glasses a few days after the surgery and does not need glasses to drive. Of course medicare and supplemental insurance does not pay for laser cataract surgery. I'm 67 and my optometrist told me I have 37 year old eyes and probably will never have cataracts. I was never a sun worshipper and always wore sun glasses. Of course neither of my parents needed cataract surgery, but they died fairly young Mom 65, Dad 79. Good luck with your surgery.

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@blackhole99 I wish I had been offered what you received. My cataract surgery was in January 2018.   I was never offered laser surgery.  I chose the Toric lense as I also have a astigmatism and the multi focal lense the gives good distance AND closeup was not the best fit for me with my astigmatism.

So With the Toric lense I have to depend on reading glasses for closeup. My distance is 20/20 which I love.

Laser surgery must be one of the newer  offerings. I wonder why my prestigeous eye clinic did not offer it? 

[cherry]

@SeaMaiden  lazering cataracts has been done in my area for decades, and medicare pays for it, and so do other insurances

Are in in an area that doesn't have much available, as far as medical treatments?

[blackhole99]

@SeaMaiden  Laser surgery for cataracts is not readily available to all and medicare and insurance does not pay for it. There isn't even a code to bill for it, at least that's what our insurance said. My Medicare supplement pays for the operating suite, but not for the surgeon or the lenses. Our insurance charged a 400 dollar deductible to boot. The equipment and expertise it takes to operate one of these facilities is really high, there's only one such clinic in our whole region. This blood less type of cataract surgery is much safer than the traditional and has much better outcomes. There is no reason IMO why insurance and Medicare cannot pay for the it.

[cherry]

My sisters have had their cataracts removed by laser ,and medicare and insurance covered it. I think they had a co-pay of about $300