Cataracts, an eye affliction that commonly develops as people age, affects today more than 24 million Americans 40 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Eye Institute says that number will reach 50 million over the next three decades.
Cataract development usually starts in middle age, when proteins in the lens break down and clump together, creating a cataract that may, over time, increase in size. Symptoms are usually mild early on, but as cataracts grow they can make vision blurry, hazy and less colorful. It would be like looking through a foggy or dusty car windshield, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Seeing at night may become difficult, with lights looking as though there is a halo around them. Eyes with cataracts may also become sensitive to bright light, whether from the sun, lamps or headlights. Although vision problems caused by cataracts may take years to develop, eventually they can affect reading, driving and other daily activities.
Getting rid of a cataract requires surgery, almost always outpatient. For the procedure, an ophthalmologist removes the cataract-clouded lens and replaces it with a clear artificial lens, called an intraocular lens. Cataracts are so common that more than half of Americans 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to remove them.
— Linda Searing
