Sure, these are important in a female sort of way. But what about potentially preventable problems we may develop years down the road?
Hello, cataracts.
According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), “a cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision.” Not only do cataracts affect your ability to drive, they can interfere with your visual enjoyment of life in general.
When it comes to blindness, cataracts are the ultimate granddaddy of destruction. In fact, cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world. And they’re the front-runner when it comes to causes of vision loss in America.
Though age is often a factor for developing cataracts, numbers aren’t always a bottom line concept. In other words, don’t write cataracts off as an “I’ll worry about it later” health concern. They can strike younger adults too.
In truth, more than 20 million Americans over age 40 have at least one cataract. That’s about 17 percent of the population. And by 2020, cataracts are expected to affect 30 million people.