WARMING CLIMATE A CATARACT BLINDNESS RISK

(Agency France-Press)

Climate change will increase the people of losing their sight through cataracts because of higher levels of ultraviolet rays. The three main factors that lead to cataract blindness are age, smoking, and UV exposure. Climate change will increasethe risk of developing cataracts, this is the statement to mark World Health Day, which has the theme "Protecting health from climate change".
A spokesman for the foundation, which works mostly in developing countries to restore sight to people with cataracts, said the increase exposure to ultraviolet rays would be cauased by depletion of the ozone layer. Although cataracts can be overcome with a relatively routine operation, they are responsible for almost 50 percent of cases of avoidable blindness worldwide.
In terms of cataract blindness, the figures show those who are most at risk of vision loss are people with no access to services to reserve the condition. The foundation stressed the importance of taking prevention measures and protecting the eyesight of children who spend long periods of time outdoors, often without sunglasses.
The solution can be as simple as choosing good sun protection, by wearing things like wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. In a separate report released, Australian doctors found that climate change would lead to higher rates of some infectious and respiratory diseases as well as more injuries from storms and bushfires.
Doctors from Environment Australia found that over the next decade the healath of children and the elderly would be most at risk from rising temperatures. Climate change is already a reality in our waiting rooms and surgeries - and is set to become a key challenge for our health system over the coming decade, said the report's co-author Graeme Horton said.