If you have a cataract it means the natural lens in your eye is cloudy. As the cataract grows: your sight becomes blurry; you may have double vision; you may find it hard to tell the difference between some colours, especially shades of blue; you may see ‘halo’ effects around lights, especially at night.

Cataracts are common. About a third of people aged over 65 have cataracts in one or both eyes. Getting older and exposure to bright sunlight are the main reasons people get cataracts. Having diabetes, smoking and drinking too much alcohol may also increase your risk of cataracts.

A cataract operation can help you see better and stop your poor sight interfering with your life. Not everyone with a cataract needs an operation. Doctors usually suggest the operation when your cataract interferes with your daily life rather than when your eyesight reaches a particular score on a sight test. In the past, people were advised that their cataract had to be ‘ripe’ (very bad) before it was worth having an operation.

This is because cataract surgery was a big operation that took a long time to recover from, and the artificial lenses used then were not very good. Now, with safer, quicker operations, cataracts are generally removed earlier, before they cause serious problems. And modern lenses are better.

Sometimes a cataract should be removed even if it does not cause problems with your sight. This is because there is another eye problem that needs treating and the cataract is in the way. Examples of other eye problems are diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. They are problems with the blood vessels in the eye. If you have cataracts in both eyes, it’s normal to do them one eye at a time, usually a couple of months or more apart. This is because the treated eye can be sore and needs to settle down for a while.

For greater Chicago Illinois and Southern Wisconsin eye care patients, the Eye Care Center of Lake County will be convenient with its located offices in Gurnee, Vernon Hills and Lake Villa Illinois. Patients seeking any aspect of general, medical, surgical, laser or optical eye care services will find the Ophthalmologists, Optometrists and staff of the Eye Care Center of Lake County to be friendly, professional and experienced.

The Eye Care Center of Lake County staff performs general eye examinations for eyeglasses and contact lenses, examinations for cataracts and cataract surgery, lens implants including near vision presbyopia correcting multifocal intraocular lenses (IOL) such as the Crystalens® Lens Implant, the ReZoom™ Lens Implant and the Acrysof® ReSTOR® Lens Implants, laser eye surgery for the Laser Vision Correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, such as LASIK surgery, medical and laser treatment of glaucoma, medical, laser and surgical treatment of diabetic retinopathy as well treatment of age related macular degeneration (ARMD) including recent advances such as Avastin® and Lucentis® Injections.

The eyes are the window to your soul and therefore need special care and attention especially so, with increasing pollution and levels of dust and grime. While we tend to look after our skin and hair and other parts of the body, we tend to relegate eye care to the background. There are several simple and easy solutions to all problems related to eye care from relaxation to dark circles and crow’s feet. The following tips provide you complete treatment for your eyes.

Rest is vital in the eye care routine. It will not only refresh the eyes but also improve their efficiency. Therefore take adequate rest. Regular exercise is mandatory to improve blood circulation. It will supply enough oxygen for the perfect functioning of the eyes.Simple everyday eye exercise like closing your eyes gently for 30 seconds to relax them in between your work, rotating your eyes often to relax muscles and moving your eyeballs from extreme left corner to the right corner is good for maintaining healthy eyes. To prevent blurred vision follow this simple exercise. Hold a pencil at arm’s length and slowly bring it towards your nose, keeping eyes focused at all times

The skin around the eyes is very thin and full of blood vessels, which makes it sensitive to changes in the body especially those related to retention and distribution of water. In most cases puffiness in and around the eyes is often noticed upon waking up in the morning. Mild puffiness is usually only a temporary cosmetic concern. However if puffiness is severe or persistent and accompanied by swelling of the face or other parts, it may indicate other conditions like thyroid or kidney diseases and calls for immediate medical attention. Even though puffiness is accumulation of excess fluid, when the body gets dehydrated, it stores water as a defense mechanism, which contributes to further puffiness. Therefore, drinking adequate water is an important part of eye care. Drink at least a liter of water to avoid any kind of puffiness in the eyes. Drinking lots of water helps to flush out waste from the body.

Protect your eyes from sunrays during the peak daytime by wearing sunglasses. The usual home remedies like cold water compress, cucumber slices, tea bags, application of egg whites and grated potatoes under the eyes for about 10 minutes are effective. It helps to avoid under eye wrinkles and dark circles around the eyes.