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The leading cause of reversible blindness in the United States, cataracts cloud the eye's normally clear, transparent lens, thus blurring the vision. Like presbyopia, cataracts commonly occur with aging. About 30 percent of all people over 65 will have at least one cataract in their lifetime.
A patient whose vision is impaired by cataracts may notice one or more of the following symptoms:
* a gradual, painless blurring or dimming of vision,
* "halo" or haze around lights, especially at night,
* double (or multiple) vision, or
* in younger patients, vision that is worse in bright sunlight.
Cataracts may be caused by accidents, diseases, or infections. However, the most common form is senile cataracts, which result from aging. Senile cataracts cannot be prevented with medicine or other therapy.
They can, however, be removed surgically when one's vision becomes too blurry. In most cases, an artificial lens can be implanted to retore clear vision without the necessity of thick glasses. Cataract surgery is relatively uncomplicated and has a success rate of over 95 percent.
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