Cataracts: A major cause of vision loss, easily repaired

“Wow! It was as if I had gotten new eyes,” said Anne Alexander after having surgery to remove cataracts. She is one of the estimated three million people who, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), undergo this procedure each year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports cataracts to be the leading cause of blindness globally. This is true in the poorest countries due to their general population’s lack of knowledge regarding eye health issues and the lack of available treatment. Cataracts are a leading cause of impaired vision in the United States but they are not the leading cause of blindness. The reason, of course, is public awareness and readily available treatment. Cataract removal is among, if not the most common, surgical procedure in this country. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states 80 percent of all vision impairment can be prevented or cured.
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens. It starts out small. At first it will have very little effect on vision. The first noticeable symptom will probably be a little blurring of vision. As it progresses, the sun or a lamp may be too bright or glaring. Colors may not appear as bright as before. When driving at night, oncoming headlights appear more harshly.

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