June was established as Cataract Awareness Month in 1908 by the organization Prevent Blindness.
More than 30 million Americans have cataracts and that number is expected to hit almost 40 million by 2032. Cataracts occur when the lens of the eye becomes covered with cloudy areas. Cataracts cause the person to experience halos around lights, faded colors, blurry vision and increased difficulty in performing certain tasks such as reading or driving. Many factors can cause the development of cataracts including eye injury or inflammation, diabetes, smoking, family history and being over the age of 40.
The goal of Cataract Awareness Month is to educate people to be on the lookout for symptoms of cataracts, and to seek help from an eye care professional about possible symptoms. Cataracts are easily treated with an outpatient surgery that has a quick recovery time and a success rate of 95%. It often restores vision to better than before the person developed the cataract. Different lens options are available as well to accommodate most eyesight needs.
