Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness, accounting for 79.4 percent of such cases. After age 40, the risk of developing cataracts increases every decade. According to census data, by age 75, half of all Caucasian Americans will have cataracts, and at age 80, it reaches 70 percent. The risk for black Americans is at a lower rate of 53 percent and Hispanics at 61 percent.
A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. For people with cataracts, looking through a cloudy lens is like looking through a frosty or foggy window. Cataracts are a bilateral eye disorder that can occur sequentially. The time from a cataract’s onset to maturity can range from a few months to several years.
Cataracts are mainly associated with the following factors, many of which can be actively avoided to prevent the development of cataracts:
Electromagnetic radiation: Studies have shown that exposure to electromagnetic waves of almost any wavelength can damage the lens. There is a cumulative effect with repeated small doses of exposure. The lens is sensitive to heat damage from microwave radiation, and chronic low-dose exposure to microwaves is potentially more dangerous than high-dose exposure. Long-term chronic UV exposure can also induce accelerated nuclear cataract production.
Smoking: Most studies have shown that smoking increases the risk of lens clouding because cigarette smoke contains substances that can damage the protective structure of antioxidants and substances that directly alter lens proteins, leading to nuclear or posterior subcapsular cataracts.
Blood pressure: Studies have found that more cataract patients have high blood pressure than low blood pressure. However, the real causative factor may not be hypertension, but certain anti-hypertensive drugs such as diuretics. High blood pressure and vascular sclerosis lead to blood circulation disorders, which affect the lens’ aqueous humor supply of nutrients and may indirectly lead to cataracts due to nutritional disorders of the lens.
Diabetes: With the increase of blood glucose level, the incidence of cataract also increases.
Medication: Steroids can cause the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts.
Geographic factors: The incidence of age-related cataracts is significantly higher in areas with long sunshine hours than in areas with short sunshine hours. The incidence decreases with higher latitude or increases with higher altitude. For example, the incidence is higher in the south than in the north and higher in the mountains than in the flatlands.
Other factors: Family history, alcohol consumption, infrequent protein intake, anemia, and reduced lung capacity can all contribute to the increased incidence of cataracts.
Natural Cataract Care Treatment: Eye Movement
Do all cataracts require surgery to transplant artificial lenses? In fact, traditional Chinese medicine has a set of self-healing eye care methods. By massaging the acupuncture points around the eyes to promote eye circulation, and there is a chance to reverse cataracts, thus avoiding the need for surgery.
Dr. Gwo-Bin Wu, director of Xinyitang Chinese Medicine Clinic, had a female patient in her 50s who had a severe cataract in her right eye. With a layer of cataract in her pupil covering her field of vision, everything she saw was fogged up. After a period of treatment, she had to go to Italy for six months and could not continue to receive the same medical treatment there. So Dr. Wu taught her a simple set of eye exercises for her to use to improve her own eyes.
Miraculously, after six months, her cataract disappeared, which even her ophthalmologist in Italy found unbelievable. This patient had actually modified the eye exercises Dr. Wu taught her while she was in Italy, and the results were even better than the previous set:
Eye Care Exercises
Health 1+1
Follow the eight steps and do these exercises once in the morning and once before bed. If you have time, you can do them again or with more frequency for better results.
Nowadays, people use cell phones and computers frequently and stare at the screen for too long, seldom rotating their eyes or blinking. Over time, their eyes will become dry, and the muscles that control the rotation of their eyeballs will become stiff, and eyes will easily degenerate.
We should pay attention to exercising our eyes on a regular basis. This is the reason this set of eye exercises includes so many repetitions, Dr. Wu said.
The key is to do these exercises consistently to generate good results. When we take our eyes seriously and do these exercises with patience, we are caring for our eyes.
This set of eye exercises is not only effective for cataracts, but also for presbyopia. A 72-year-old female patient of Dr. Wu’s with presbyopia also used this method for a couple of months, and her presbyopia was healed, and she no longer required presbyopic glasses.
Health 1+1
Author
Health 1+1 is the most authoritative Chinese medical and health information platform overseas. The program covers the latest on the coronavirus, prevention, treatment, scientific research and policy, as well as cancer, chronic illness, emotional and spiritual health, immunity, health insurance, and other aspects to provide people with reliable and considerate care and help.
