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A cataract causes blurred vision by blocking light entering the eye.
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Facts About Cataracts, Cataract Surgery and Presbyopia
A cataract is a “clouding” of the eye’s lens that can cause problems including blurry or defocused vision, poor night vision and reduced color perception. As the lens is responsible for focusing light and producing clear, sharp images, cataract sufferers may find that the cloudiness interferes with their quality of vision and makes normal activities such as driving a car, reading a newspaper or seeing people’s faces increasingly difficult.
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and the number one cause of poor vision in the U.S.
In fact, the total number of people who will develop cataracts is estimated to rise to more than 30 million by 2020.
Age is the number one risk factor for developing cataracts.
Other potential risk factors are smoking, diabetes and excessive sun exposure. Cataracts also may be the result of eye injuries, certain diseases or even some medications.
Cataracts are progressive and cannot be prevented.
In early stages, cataracts may not cause a vision problem; however, over time, cataracts may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it more difficult to see objects clearly.
Once the cataract impacts an individual’s quality of life, surgery is the most effective way to improve vision.
Cataract surgery is one of the safest, most effective and most common surgical procedures. Each year, nearly three million cataract surgeries are performed in the U.S., and globally, 10 million cataract surgeries are performed.
For patients, cataract surgery is a simple operation.
It typically is an outpatient procedure that requires patients to spend just a few hours at the site. Also, it involves little discomfort for patients, as their eyes will be treated with an anesthetic.
The actual procedure involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL).
The good news is that recently, intraocular lens technology has taken a giant leap forward. Today, the objective is not simply to improve patients’ distance vision, but rather to enhance their vision with an IOL that may provide them with a range of quality vision.
One of the new revolutionary lenses is called the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL, it provides cataract patients with a range of quality vision, greatly reducing their reliance on glasses. Presbyopia is an age-related condition that hinders an individual’s ability to see or read near objects. Patients with presbyopia need reading glasses for near vision. An estimated 90 million people in the U.S. either have presbyopia currently or will develop it by 2014. Four out of five patients in the IOL clinical study reported never wearing their glasses or bifocals for any activity after receiving AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL in both eyes.
1 Prevalence of Cataract and Pseudophakia/Aphakia Among Adults in the United States.
Archives of Ophthalmology : April 2004.
2 Facts About Cataract. National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health
and Human Services. April 2006.
3 What is a Cataract? Optometry.com. 2005.
4 Market Scope.
5 Foster A. Cataract--A Global Perspective: Output, Outcome and Outlay. Eye: 1999;13:65-70.
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