June is Cataract Awareness Month. When it comes to vision, many don’t take the time and care to keep their eyes healthy, or to even get them checked when things start to dim.
Actress Anne Hathaway is no exception. The Oscar-winning actress recently revealed that she was “basically legally blind” in her left eye for a period of her career, due to an early onset cataract. The “Devil Wears Prada 2” star, 43, shared her medical issue on an episode of the New York Times‘ “Popcast” that released April 22.
When her vision issues began in 2013, Hathaway was filming Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning sci-fi “Interstellar.” Her vision was impaired for a decade, from ages 30 to 40, before she treated the condition. She also acted in “The Intern,” “Colossal,” “Ocean’s 8,” “Dark Waters” and “Armageddon Time” during that time period.
“I wound up getting surgery, and I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until I could finally see the full spectrum,” Hathaway said. “And I’ve calmed down since then. I didn’t realize it was actually taxing my nervous system.”
What is a Cataract?
As Prevention magazine reports, if you ask most people what they know about cataracts and you’ll probably hear a combination of the terms “eye problem,” “blurry vision,” and “older people.” That’s not surprising, because roughly half of all Americans who reach age 80 will have to contend with cataracts, according the National Institutes of Health. What is a cataract, exactly?
A cataract is defined as a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye, according to the Mayo Clinic. They’re pretty common, with about 200,000 new cases in the U.S. annually, and can cause difficulty reading, driving (particularly at night), and even recognizing facial expressions. Cataract symptoms include cloudy, blurry, or dim vision; sensitivity to light; and seeing “halos” around lights. Your risk of developing cataracts can increase with age, smoking, and heavy drinking. People with obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure are also at an an increased risk.
It is possible to have age-related cataracts starting in your 40s, but they usually don’t mess with your vision until you get past 60. This is why Hathaway’s cataract situation was unique, and why it probably didn’t occur to her to get her eyes checked when it started happening.
A good rule of thumb is to get an eye exam annually, no matter your age, and if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, get your eyes checked!
Cataracts – What You Need to Know
Here’s what most people don’t understand about this common eye condition—and what you need to know ASAP:
1. Cataracts don’t form on your eyes.
“That’s the most frequent misunderstanding I encounter,” says Dr. Foster. By definition, again, a cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens. Many people assume that a foggy coating has developed on top of the lens, but a cataract actually forms inside the eye. The vision-distorting haze occurs when proteins that comprise the normally crystal-clear lens break down. “You can’t feel a cataract, and it could take months or years to progress to a stage where you require surgery to remove it,” he says.
2. Getting older isn’t the only risk factor for cataracts.
Most cataracts are age-related, but it’s possible to develop them thanks to an eye injury or following surgery for another eye issue, such as glaucoma. Radiation and sun exposure also put you at risk; bright sunlight may speed the breakdown of those lens proteins. Meanwhile, some cataracts are congenital and even infants are occasionally born with them.
3. Cataracts may affect only one eye.
While “bilateral” cataracts are more common, it’s possible for a cataract to develop in just one of your eyes, according to Dr. Foster. “Especially if you’ve suffered some kind of blow or trauma to one of your eyes, that may result in a cataract developing in one eye but not the other,” he explains.
4. Cataracts can distort your vision in different ways.
“I’ve had cataract patients with 20-20 vision,” says Dr. Foster. Some people end up with eyesight that’s constantly blurry, but others only have trouble under certain conditions. “I just saw a patient who complained about difficulty seeing when driving at night,” he recalls. “His vision was perfect most of the time, but he had a particular type of cataract that causes light scatter.”
5. Not everyone who develops a cataract requires surgery.
When your cataract first starts to form, your vision isn’t affected much, Dr. Foster explains. “Many people put off surgery for years,” he says. And no, there aren’t really any risks associated with this procedure procrastination. “I always say that if a cataract affects your quality of life, then we need to make plans to take it out,” he says. “Otherwise, we can forget about it until your next appointment.”
6. Cataract surgery is super common—and super safe.
If you’ve reached the point where you need to go under the knife, don’t panic: Cataract surgery has a 96% success rate, making it one of the safest procedures in modern medicine, says Dr. Foster. “It involves local anesthetic, a small incision, and no stitches,” he says. Your eye surgeon will remove your lens, clean out any accumulated gunk, and insert a new lens implant. “It only takes about 15 minutes,” he adds. (Ask your doctor these 5 questions before surgery.) After the procedure, you’ll have to wear a protective shield when you sleep or nap, and you won’t be able to jog for a couple of weeks. But your vision may be clearer as soon as the day after surgery, and within a month you’ll be fully recovered and seeing better than ever, according to Dr. Foster.
7. You can’t stop the clock, but you can reduce your risk.
Wearing UV-blocking sunglasses and loading up on antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies can help—as can not smoking, limiting alcohol, and doing your best to avoid developing diabetes.
During her Popcast interview, Hathaway went on to share how life has been since she underwent treatment for the cataract. “I appreciate [my] vision because I literally feel like every day, I wake up and I get to see the way that I do, it’s a miracle,” she said.
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Photo Credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
