Orevaoghene Asakpoku, the Chief Medical Director of Lotag Eye Clinic Port Harcourt, says cataract may lead to blindness if not treated.

Orevaoghene said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Benin.

She explained that the first symptom of cataract starts when the patient experiences blurred vision “which is worse in the day and clear at night’’.

A cataract is clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupils it is the most common cause of vision loss in people over 40 years and is the principal cause of blindness.

She said that senile cataract was the most common that affect people revealing that frequent exposure to heat is a leading factor for developing cataract.

Orevaoghene said that the major treatment for cataract is a surgical operation that helps to clear the clouding and blur vision while adding that the disease rarely occurs in children.

He also warned against using sunglasses without UV protection and wearing wrong products of contact lens, saying they “are not safe for the eyes’’.

She said that some of the causes of cataract include smoking, family history (hereditary), diabetes, hypertension, statin medications use to reduce cholesterol.

The optometrist listed aging, trauma from accident, drug abuse, congenital (in new born) and injury as other causes of cataract.

She said that the symptoms include blurred vision, colours might  not appear as bright as they used to be and light from the sun and lamp seem too bright or glaring.

Orevaoghene advised anyone experiencing the symptoms of cataract to see an optometrist without hesitating. (NAN)

– Oct. 22, 2018 @ 14:35 GMT