Cataract Surgery

What Are Cataracts?

Our eyes function very much like a camera. You have two natural lenses in each eye. One lens on the surface (cornea) of your eye, and a second lens within your eye, called the crystalline lens. Together these lenses focus images inside the back of your eye on the retina. At birth, our crystalline lens is clear. As we begin to age, it yellows and begins to harden. When it becomes cloudy, it is defined as a cataract and begins to interfere with the quality of our vision.

What is the Cause of Cataracts?

Everyone at some point will develop cataracts as they age. Age-related cataracts may develop during the middle age years, but typically they only begin to affect vision after age 60.

Cataracts are also caused by health conditions like diabetes, eye injuries, prolonged use of steroid medications, UV ray exposure and tobacco use.

Symptoms of cataracts include images becoming blurred, bright colors becoming dull, and seeing at night becoming more difficult. It may also be the reason your glasses do not seem to help keep things in focus as well as they used to. As a cataract begins to develop over time, people tend to accept and adjust to the decline in their lifestyles.