A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. About half of the population has a cataract by the time they reach the age of 65. Nearly everyone has had at least one cataract by the age of 75. In rare cases, however infants can have congenital cataracts. In many cases this happens because the mother had German measles, chickenpox, or another infectious disease during pregnancy.

Cataract Causes

The lens is made mostly of water and protein. Specific proteins within the lens are responsible for maintaining its clarity. Over many years, the structures of these lens proteins are altered, ultimately leading to a gradual clouding of the lens. Rarely, cataracts can present at birth or in early childhood as a result of hereditary enzyme defects, and severe trauma to the eye, eye surgery, or intraocular inflammation can also cause cataracts to occur earlier in life. Other factors that may lead to development of cataracts at an earlier age include excessive ultraviolet-light exposure, diabetes, smoking, or the use of certain medications, such as oral, topical, or inhaled steroids. Other medications that are more weakly associated with cataracts include the long-term use of statins and phenothiazines.

Treatment:

Surgical removal of your cataract is the only way to restore or maintain your vision. This involves replacing your cloudy lens with an artificial one. The most common technique is called phacoemulsification. This is typically performed under local anaesthetic. This completely blocks the feeling from the eye area and you will stay awake during the operation. A small incision is made in the eye so the surgeon can remove the clouded lens. The membrane on the back of the lens (known as the posterior capsule) is typically left in its place. Then a replacement lens, known as an intraocular lens, or IOL, will be inserted to replace the natural lens. In some cases, the surgeon will remove both the lens and the membrane on the back of the lens. This procedure is called an intracapsular extraction. The surgeon will sometimes perform this procedure to avoid the possibility of the membrane becoming cloudy. If the membrane or any bits of remaining lens becomes cloudy, it is known as a secondary cataract.

Cataract surgery - is very successful in restoring vision. In fact, it is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States, with over 1.5 million cataract surgeries done each year. There are 2 types of surgery that can be used to remove lenses that have a cataract First is Extracapsular surgery consists of surgically removing the lens, but leaving the back half of the capsule (the outer covering of the lens) whole. High-frequency sound waves (phacoemulsification) may be used to soften the lens to help removing it through a smaller cut second is Intracapsular surgery involves surgically removing the entire lens, including the capsule.