June is cataract awareness month

June 2023

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that cataract is the leading cause of vision loss in the United States, and the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Prevent Blindness has declared June as cataract awareness month to educate the public on risk factors, symptoms, types of cataracts and cataract surgery.

You can educate and discuss the following topics with your patients:

• Encouraging regular eye exams: Cataracts can be detected during routine eye exams and early detection is key to successful treatment
• Promote healthy habits: Encourage your patients to adopt healthy habits including eating a balanced diet, wearing UV-blocking sunglasses, reducing alcohol use and quitting smoking to help reduce the risk of cataracts

By raising awareness during cataract awareness month, you can help patients understand the signs and symptoms of cataracts, how to best prevent them and guide them through any care they may need.