Health Reflection Home

What You Can Do About Cataracts

Cataracts are like smudges or cloudy patches on a window. Caused by chemical changes, cataracts form on the lens of the eye. They gradually limit vision as people age. But the good news is that most cataracts can now be successfully treated with surgery.

Can You Reduce Your Risk?

Most people older than age 65 have cataracts to some degree. However, the opaque patches are usually still small or limited to the edges of the lens. Since cataracts progress slowly, they cause only minor vision problems at first.

Cataract Surgery

“Cataract surgery is typically recommended once vision becomes seriously affected,” said Matthew Blair, M.D., an ophthalmologist at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital. “During surgery, the eye’s natural lens is replaced with a plastic lens.”

Cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure performed on people older than 65 in this country. It’s also extremely successful. More than 90 percent of people who have the surgery show a marked improvement in their vision.