Cook County Health and Hospitals System Reminder: August is Cataract Awareness Month

Cataracts are a common cause of vision loss as we age, but they are treatable. If you have a cataract, your vision can also worsen slowly over time. A cataract happens when the eye’s lens becomes cloudy. The lens must be clear in order to focus light properly onto the retina. As a cataract slowly begins to develop, you may not notice any changes in your vision at first. Eventually, however, you will notice your vision is blurry, cloudy or dim. Fortunately, cataract surgery can correct the vision loss. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) now recommends that adults with no signs or risk factors for eye disease get a baseline eye disease screening at agr 40 – the time when early warning signs of diseae or changes in vision may occur.