June is Cataract Awareness Month
Local Cataract Specialist Jonathan M. Frantz, MD, FACS, joins Prevent Blindness America (PBA) in recognizing June as Cataract Awareness Month in an effort to educate the public on the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options of the world’s leading cause of blindness.
According to PBA, there are more cases of cataract globally than there are of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy combined. Today, cataract affects more than 22 million Americans aged 40 and older. As the U.S. population ages, more than 30.1 million Americans are projected to have cataracts by the year 2020.
Risk factors for developing cataract include a family history of cataract, diabetes, smoking, extended exposure to UV rays, serious eye injury, and the use of steroids.
Americans spend $6.8 billion every year on direct medical costs for outpatient, inpatient, and prescription drug services for cataracts, according to “Economic Impact of Vision Problems: The Toll of Major Adult Eye Disorders, Visual Impairment, and Blindness on the U.S. Economy,” a 2007 study funded by PBA.
“We encourage everyone, especially those age 40 and over, to get a dilated, baseline eye exam,” said Dr. Frantz, medical director of Florida Eye Health.
Jonathan M. Frantz, MD, FACS, and the doctors at Florida Eye Health offer a broad spectrum of patient-focused comprehensive care from eye exams and eyewear to cataract removal, glaucoma care, state of the art iLASIK, hearing services, and eyelid surgery with office locations in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, and Lehigh Acres.
