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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> Other cataracts involve the normally clear lens slowly changing to a yellowish or brownish color, which adds a brownish tint to vision.
Researchers don't know exactly why a lens changes with age. One possibility is damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Smoking and exposure to ultraviolet light are two sources of free radicals. It also could just be general wear and tear on the lens over the years that causes changes in protein fibers, according to eye experts at the Mayo Clinic.
Most cataract surgeries are performed using a procedure known as phacoemulsification. A tiny incision, usually smaller than 3 millimeters, is made on the side of the cornea -- the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye -- and a tiny probe is inserted into the eye. The device emits ultrasound waves that break up the cataract.
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"We break the cataract up into small pieces that are sucked out through this tube with very little discomfort to the patient," Salz said. "The surgery can be over anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes. They have very little discomfort, and then they go home. Patients used to be hospitalized for three or four days, with stitches in their eye."
But the truly revolutionary innovation comes into play once the cataract has been removed. Recent breakthroughs have given patients a number of options for replacement lenses that can make their eyesight as good as new.
"In the past, we would take the cataract out, put an implant in, and the patient would have better vision than they'd ever had in their life," Salz said. "But they would still need glasses to read."
That changed about four years ago, when companies began producing artificial lenses that could mimic the eye's ability to see both near and far.
"The multifocal lens is a lens with a special optical design that provides some focus at distance and some focus up close, and therefore reduces the necessity to wear glasses as much," said Chang, who's also chairman of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery's Cataract Clinical Committee.
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