Cataract Risk & Prevention Factors

“Patients often ask about how to prevent cataracts and reduce their risk of a cataract,” stated NJ Cataract Surgeon Joel Confino, M.D of The Eye Care & Surgery center in Westfield, New Jersey. According to a study published in the March 2012 issue of Ophthalmology, by controlling certain risk factors such as hyperglycemia, hypertension and smoking it may be possible to reduce the risk of developing cataracts.

“Cataract surgery is arguably one of the most common surgical procedures that our senior population requires,” commented Connecticut Cataract Surgeon Leslie Doctor, M.D. of Doctor & Associates with Fairfield County offices in Norwalk, Westport and Wilton, CT. ”Further, the fact that Medicare pays for cataract surgery and lens implants and we have a substantial growing population of seniors suggests that if there are factors we and primary care physicians can counsel patients about to prevent cataracts, we should do so.”

“For us as Galveston and Houston Cataract Surgeons, the nature of this research and the study itself were even more meaningful as the patient population it primarily evaluated was the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study, a large study of visual functioning, visual impairment, and ocular disease in Latinos. Given that the Latino population is one of the fastest growing groups, and now it is the largest minority group, especially among our Houston eye care population, we need share the results with our primary care physician colleagues so we can work together to help reduce cataract risk and prevent cataracts where possible,” emphasized Bernard Milstein, M.D. of The Eye Clinic of Texas.