Cataracts are the leading cause of visual loss in adults age 55 and older. A cataract is a clouding of the
natural lens inside your eye. This lens is a clear, disc-shaped structure located behind the iris (the
colored portion of the eye). The human lens acts much like the lens in a camera, focusing the images on
the retina of the eye. The retina then transfers the visual image to the brain, which permits vision. The
clouding on the lens from a cataract limits the amount of light sent to the retina causing images to be
blurred.
Surgery is the only way to cure a cataract. Cataract surgery can be performed when your vision needs
require it. During cataract surgery your cloudy lens is removed from the eye and replaced with a
permanent intraocular lens. New technology and surgical advancements have made cataract surgery a
painless, outpatient procedure. Exciting new lens offerings provide options to patients as well, allowing
cataract patients to see well at all distances without the help of glasses, bifocals or reading glasses.