{"id":893,"date":"2016-06-29T14:02:15","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T14:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/assistinghands.com\/chicagoland-naperville\/?p=893"},"modified":"2021-09-29T03:33:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T03:33:47","slug":"risk-developing-cataracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-895\" src=\"\/8\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2016\/12\/eye-chronic-conditions-211610_250-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"eye-cataracts-211610_250\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" \/>As Cataract Awareness Month comes to a close, we want to talk a little bit about this serious eye disease. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye that may affect your vision. A person with cataracts may experience fuzzy or cloudy vision, double vision, or extreme glare from headlights or the sun.<\/p>\n<p>In many cases, cataracts are small and do not affect a person\u2019s vision. A doctor can perform a physical exam to see if you may have cataracts. As a cataract grows, it may cause the issues noted above. If the cataract becomes big enough that a person\u2019s eyesight, or lack of it, causes a reduction in their quality of life, surgery can be performed.<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s start with the risk factors associated with cataracts. There are a few that stand out, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><u><\/u><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Age.<\/strong><\/span> As we get older, we develop a higher risk for cataracts.<\/li>\n<li><u><strong>Genetics.<\/strong><\/u>\u00a0If your family history includes cataracts, you are more likely to be predisposed to it.<\/li>\n<li><u><strong>Diabetes.<\/strong><\/u> High blood sugar levels can cause damage to the lens of the eye.<\/li>\n<li><u><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-896\" src=\"\/8\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2016\/12\/smoking-quit-smoking-951984_300-300x281.jpg\" alt=\"smoking-cataracts-951984_250\" width=\"250\" height=\"234\" \/>Glaucoma.<\/strong><\/u> If you have surgery to treat glaucoma, unfortunately you are more at risk for cataracts.<\/li>\n<li><u><strong>Smoking.<\/strong> <\/u> Smoking may also damage the lens of the eye by forming chemicals called free radicals. High levels of these chemicals can damage cells, including the cells in the lens of the eye.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Ultraviolet Radiation.<\/u><\/strong> UVB rays, specifically, can increase the development of cataracts.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Steroid Medication.<\/u><\/strong> If you are taking steroid medication for conditions such as asthma or emphysema on a long-term basis, you have a higher risk of developing cataracts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Currently there is no way to PREVENT cataracts altogether, but there are things you can do to slow it down, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><u>Eat Healthy and Exercise.<\/u><\/strong> We cannot overstate the positive benefits that come from having a healthy lifestyle, including eating healthy and getting regular exercise. Diabetes can cause a host of other health issues, so avoiding it should be at the top of your list.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-899\" src=\"\/8\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2016\/12\/human-skin-damage-913951_250.jpg\" alt=\"human-cataracts-913951_250\" width=\"250\" height=\"166\" \/>Stop Smoking. <\/u><\/strong>This is also a habit that may cause a lot of other negative health issues, including cancer, heart disease and stroke.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Wear Sunglasses and a Hat in the Sun.<\/u><\/strong> If you are out in the sun, take the necessary precautions to protect your skin and eyes like wearing a hat and sunglasses and using sunscreen.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Don\u2019t Use Tanning Beds.<\/u><\/strong> You are getting an extra dose of ultraviolet radiation, which may cause skin cancer in addition to cataracts.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Reduce Usage of Steroid Medication.<\/strong><\/span> If you are on long-term steroid medication, consult your doctor to see if there is another non-steroid medication that will be as effective.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At Assisting Hands Home Care we can provide your loved one with safe transportation to and from doctors and other appointments, grocery shopping or other errands. We can also make sure they are getting the appropriate nutrition and exercise that is appropriate for them. Whether you need someone to be with them during the day, in the evening or overnight, we can accommodate your needs. You will sleep better knowing that they aren\u2019t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/assistinghands.com\/chicagoland-naperville\/contact-us\/\">Contact us<\/a>\u00a0today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at (630) 634-9316.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Cataract Awareness Month comes to a close, we want to talk a little bit about this serious eye disease. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye that may affect your vision. A person with cataracts may experience fuzzy or cloudy vision, double vision, or extreme glare from headlights or the sun. In many cases,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[100,101,39,8,62,98,66,99,24,26],"class_list":["post-893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-cataract-prevention","tag-cataracts","tag-fall-prevention","tag-home-care","tag-home-care-services","tag-home-safety","tag-in-home-senior-care","tag-safe-home","tag-senior-health","tag-senior-monitoring"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cataracts can cause serious eyesight impairment, but there are preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of getting this disease.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cataracts can cause serious eyesight impairment, but there are preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of getting this disease.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Chicagoland - Naperville, Illinois\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-06-29T14:02:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-29T03:33:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2023\/01\/Assistinghandimage.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"341\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Richard E. Ueberfluss\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Richard E. Ueberfluss\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Richard E. Ueberfluss\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/976bca814cae69f8178a5f0b7d3e3ee2\"},\"headline\":\"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-06-29T14:02:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-29T03:33:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/\"},\"wordCount\":556,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"cataract prevention\",\"cataracts\",\"fall prevention\",\"home care\",\"home care services\",\"home safety\",\"in home senior care\",\"safe home\",\"senior health\",\"senior monitoring\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/\",\"name\":\"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-06-29T14:02:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-29T03:33:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/976bca814cae69f8178a5f0b7d3e3ee2\"},\"description\":\"Cataracts can cause serious eyesight impairment, but there are preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of getting this disease.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/\",\"name\":\"Chicagoland - Naperville, Illinois\",\"description\":\"Quality Home Care You Can Trust\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/976bca814cae69f8178a5f0b7d3e3ee2\",\"name\":\"Richard E. Ueberfluss\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/franchise-opportunity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/richard-e.-ueberfluss_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/franchise-opportunity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/richard-e.-ueberfluss_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Richard E. Ueberfluss\"},\"description\":\"Richard E. Ueberfluss, PT, MBA, FACHE is the Owner of A Place At Home and a licensed Physical Therapist with more than 20 years of experience in acute hospital care, outpatient orthopedics, sports rehabilitation, home health care, and healthcare leadership. He is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, Certified Manual Physical Therapist, Senior Home Safety Specialist\u2122, and Certified Dementia Practitioner. Richard also spent seven years as a hospital administrator, bringing extensive experience in healthcare operations, patient care, and community outreach. Richard earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Marquette University and his Master of Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago. He completed his Certified Manual Physical Therapist training through the University of St. Augustine and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). His professional background and commitment to helping older adults age safely at home guide the educational content shared on this website.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/author\/rueberfluss\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?","description":"Cataracts can cause serious eyesight impairment, but there are preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of getting this disease.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?","og_description":"Cataracts can cause serious eyesight impairment, but there are preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of getting this disease.","og_url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/","og_site_name":"Chicagoland - Naperville, Illinois","article_published_time":"2016-06-29T14:02:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-09-29T03:33:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":341,"url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2023\/01\/Assistinghandimage.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Richard E. Ueberfluss","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Richard E. Ueberfluss","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/"},"author":{"name":"Richard E. Ueberfluss","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/976bca814cae69f8178a5f0b7d3e3ee2"},"headline":"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?","datePublished":"2016-06-29T14:02:15+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-29T03:33:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/"},"wordCount":556,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["cataract prevention","cataracts","fall prevention","home care","home care services","home safety","in home senior care","safe home","senior health","senior monitoring"],"articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/","url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/","name":"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2016-06-29T14:02:15+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-29T03:33:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/976bca814cae69f8178a5f0b7d3e3ee2"},"description":"Cataracts can cause serious eyesight impairment, but there are preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of getting this disease.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/risk-developing-cataracts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is Your Risk of Developing Cataracts?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#website","url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/","name":"Chicagoland - Naperville, Illinois","description":"Quality Home Care You Can Trust","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/976bca814cae69f8178a5f0b7d3e3ee2","name":"Richard E. Ueberfluss","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/franchise-opportunity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/richard-e.-ueberfluss_avatar-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/franchise-opportunity\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/richard-e.-ueberfluss_avatar-96x96.jpg","caption":"Richard E. Ueberfluss"},"description":"Richard E. Ueberfluss, PT, MBA, FACHE is the Owner of A Place At Home and a licensed Physical Therapist with more than 20 years of experience in acute hospital care, outpatient orthopedics, sports rehabilitation, home health care, and healthcare leadership. He is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, Certified Manual Physical Therapist, Senior Home Safety Specialist\u2122, and Certified Dementia Practitioner. Richard also spent seven years as a hospital administrator, bringing extensive experience in healthcare operations, patient care, and community outreach. Richard earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Marquette University and his Master of Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago. He completed his Certified Manual Physical Therapist training through the University of St. Augustine and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). His professional background and commitment to helping older adults age safely at home guide the educational content shared on this website.","url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/author\/rueberfluss\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=893"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1778,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893\/revisions\/1778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}