Cataracts

(time 1:32) : Cataracts: Description

Cataracts are a part of the aging process, but they do not have to interfere with your life style. A cataract is a cloudiness of the crystalline lens inside your eye. As your lens gets cloudier, your vision will gradually become more blurred. The human eye may best be compared to a camera. When you take a picture, the lens in the front of the camera allows light through and focuses that light on the film. When the light hits the film, a picture is taken. The eye works in much the same way. The lens of your eye is clear and allows light to pass through. Light is focused by your cornea and lens onto a thin layer of tissue called the retina. Your retina works like the film in a camera. When the focused light hits the retina, a picture is taken, and sent to your brain. While a dirty camera lens blurs a picture, any significant cataract in your lens will blur what you see.

(time 1:29) : Cataracts: Treatment Overview

Today, cataracts can be treated in a variety of ways. Initially, when symptoms begin to appear, you may be able to improve your vision with a new pair of glasses or a change in prescription. Brighter lighting may also help in the short-term. If a cataract grows large enough to impair your vision, and affect your daily activities, cataract removal is recommended. Cataract removal is a common procedure, and is safely performed millions of times each year. During the procedure, the cataract surgeon removes the clouded lens that has affected your vision, and replaces it with a clear, artificial, intraocular lens As a result, most patients can achieve a noticeable improvement in their vision. Cataracts do not grow back, but in some cases, the clear, thin tissue that holds the intraocular lens in place can turn cloudy, months or even years after cataract surgery, causing vision to blur again. If this happens, your doctor can easily and painlessly correct the issue, by using a laser, to create a new opening in the clouded tissue. This creates a clear visual pathway, which should allow your sight to return to its previous level of clarity.