Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all people in the United States either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.^[1]

Common symptoms are

• Blurry vision
• Colors that seem faded
• Glare
• Not being able to see well at night
• Double vision
• Frequent prescription changes in your eyewear

Cataracts usually develop slowly. New glasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses or magnifying lenses can help at first. Surgery is also an option. It involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. Wearing sunglasses and a hat with a brim to block ultraviolet sunlight may help to delay cataracts.^[2]

Cataract removal can be performed at any stage in the progression of the disease and no longer requires ripening of the lens. Surgery is usually performed without a hospital stay using local anesthesia. About 9 of 10 patients can achieve a corrected vision of 20/40 or better after surgery.^[3] While cataracts do not cause astigmatism, custom designed lenses can be implanted to both replace the cataract and correct the patient's astigmatism.

References[edit]

1. ↑ Facts About Cataract (September 2009). Retrieved on 24 May 2015.
2. ↑ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cataract.html
3. ↑ Bollinger KE, Langston RH (2008). "What can patients expect from cataract surgery?". Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 75 (3): 193–196, 199–196. doi:10.3949/ccjm.75.3.193. PMID 18383928.