What are cataracts?

         A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye. A normal lens is clear and lets light pass to the back of the eye. A cataract blocks some of the light. As a cataract develops, it becomes harder for a person to see.
Symptoms of a cataract include: blurred driving or reading vision, sensitivity to light, glare, and halos around lights, change in glasses prescription and/or distorted images.

Types of cataracts:

• A nuclear cataract occurs in the center of the lens. It may actually cause a slight improvement in near or reading vision, called "second sight." This "second sight " vision disappears as the cataract worsens.
• A cortical cataract begins as wedge-shaped spokes in the cortex (outer portion) of the lens. When the spokes approach the center, they interfere with the transmission of light and cause glare and loss of contrast acuity.
• A subcapsular cataract starts as a small opacity under the capsule (the outer membrane of the lens), and develops slowly. Vision is not significantly affected until the cataract is well developed. Diabetes, retinitis pigmentosa, and steroids are common causes of this type of cataract.

      Cataract Surgery is the most commonly performed medical treatment for people 65 and older in the United States. Once a cataract reduces your vision, there are no medications, eye drops, glasses or exercises that will reverse it. Surgery, through a tiny incision, is the only way to remove a cataract. The cataract is fragmented and removed with gentle suction, and a new, permanent lens (an intraocular lens implant) is put in its place. The surgery typically uses no sutures, involves no bleeding, and is virtually painless. Although visual recovery may take up to several months to stabilize, most people can resume normal activities within a day or two.