Cataract is a painless, cloudy area in the lens of the eye that prevents the passage of light to the retina, the nerve layer at the back of the eye. The nerve cells in the retina by detecting light entry and sending nerve signals to the brain, maintains the vision. Cataracts block this light, causing vision problems.

Cataracts are caused due to aging and exposure to sunlight. Aging has a big role in causing changes in your eyes. But they do not always cause cataracts.

Eye injury, or any sort of eye disease caused after the usage of certain medicines Cataracts can also happen after an eye injury, as a result of eye disease, after you use can cause cataracts. In some cases, diabetes also paves way for cataract. Some children are born with cataracts. Cataracts affect the vision by making it cloudy, fuzzy, or foggy. It may cause trouble in driving at night because of glare from car headlights.

A person affected by cataract may need to change the eyeglasses frequently. It may even cause double vision in one eye. There are chances of near vision getting improved for a short time which is called second sight. Cataracts sometimes do not cause vision problems.

Cataracts could be diagnosed by the doctor by doing a physical exam and by asking questions about the symptoms and past health. Of course, additional medical check-ups may be required top confirm this. Cataract could be treated by surgery, but in older adults that could not be always removed. The vision loss from a cataract usually happens slowly and may never become severe.

The vision problems caused by cataracts could be managed by eyeglasses, contacts, or other vision aids. Also by keeping plenty of lighting in the home, a surgery can be avoided. Cataracts cannot be avoided maximum. But the growth rate could be slowed with efforts. By eating healthy foods keeping diabetes under control, we can reduce the effect of cataract.

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Obesity is a serious health issue that is a matter concern of most of the parents in the United States. Over weight paves way for serious health issues, both physical and mental. Over weight children also shows signs of depression. Obesity in teenagers is a risk factor causing diabetes, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and hypertension. Obesity also may trigger the risk of developing heart disease as adults.

But they may not have to wait to face these devastating results. A recent study conducted on 460 teenage American Indians has revealed that heart abnormalities were already common in obese adolescents.

The study says that left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH, a thickening of the wall of the heart’s left ventricle) was present in 12.4 percent of overweight teenagers and 33.5 percent of the obese teens. But only 3.5 percent of adolescents among them has a normal weight. In the health research, LVH was accompanied by some heart abnormalities similar to those seen in heart failure. A similar association between obesity and LVH has been identified in other adolescent populations in the United States of America.

LVH in adults is resulted by the high blood pressure and obesity. Obesity in childhood does of course result in LVH in adults. The study conducted on 460 teenage American Indians shows that the increased heart size among the adolescents cannot be accounted for high blood pressure. It appeared to be greater than expected, as due to the extra work the heart must perform in a body of excessive weight.

The authors’ research journal suggests that the enlarged hearts of these teens may be due partly to growth-promoting effects of elevated insulin levels, which are also common among the obese teenagers. This revelation of LVH in obese adolescents does serve as yet another reason for parents to make every effort possible to to ensure the cutting down of obesity among their children.

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