Keeping Your Essential Vision With Cataracts

Throughout the world, cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss. This June is Cataract Awareness Month, the perfect time to reflect on the surprising importance of vision in all aspects of our lives. 

Surprising ways vision impacts our lives

While clear, healthy vision is often taken for granted, sight is more central to our daily functioning than many realize. Our brains rely primarily on the work of our eyes to assess the world around us. Science says that 80% of our sensory impressions come from vision. In fact, over 50% of our brain’s cortex is used to process visual information!

In our lives, we use vision to navigate through the world in a variety of ways. For instance, we get significantly more impressions from vision concerning food and drink, than smell and taste. Contrary to sight, taste is probably the weakest of the senses. Smell closely follows. 

Vision can give us insight into how things will taste before we even eat them. For example, fruit colors, such as orange and red (think oranges or apples), are often signifiers of sweetness. Green and yellow (limes and lemons) tend to be sour or bitter. If illnesses deteriorate our sense of smell or taste temporarily (like with COVID-19), our eyes and vision take over the job of evaluating whether food will be safe to eat. Spotting problematic things, like mold, is a way to identify spoiled food—without having to taste it.

When it comes to vision, even interpersonal communication between people is interpreted via visual cues, like body language. We detect expressions and body positioning through our vision. Sight gives us our first impressions of people, which then guides our interactions with the world.

Healthy vision is essential

Vision is crucial in all aspects of life, helping us do the things we love, like driving, reading, communicating with others, or even choosing food. Considering that June is Cataract Awareness Month, it’s especially important to think about the ways you can preserve and even improve your vision if you have cataracts.

Cataracts are a condition that arise when your lens becomes cloudy. This cloudiness results in symptoms like blurry vision, sensitivity to glare, difficulty driving at night, and poor depth perception. It is important that the condition is diagnosed and treated. Cataract surgery with advanced intraocular lenses (IOLs) not only prevents vision loss, but also can improve upon refractive errors, so you can experience the best quality of life possible. 

Here at Better Vision New Jersey, we understand the importance of maintaining healthy eyes, which is why we are committed to treating all of your visual needs—with expertise and the best technologies available. We know that vision is essential for your daily functioning. With our experienced eye care professionals, you’ll be able to enjoy your healthiest vision for life. If you have had to postpone your regular eye care or cataract treatment while you practiced social distancing, allow us to aid you in your journey to your best vision yet!