Cataract Awareness Month
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August's Cataract Awareness Month, the American
Academy of Ophthalmology and Eye M.D.s around the nation want to
remind people they don't have to live with cataracts. |
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Previous
Health Topics |
- Cataracts are very common. Approximately 20.5 million
Americans age 40 and older have cataracts.
- A cataract is a clouding of the eye's clear lens.
This prevents the passage of light needed for vision.
- Cataracts are a significant cause of blindness in
some parts of the world; however, technological advances and the
availability of new procedures in the United States mean that for most
Americans, cataracts don't lead to vision loss.
- More than half of all Americans develop cataracts by
age 80.
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New
advances and techniques have made cataract surgery one of the most
successful and life-improving surgical procedures.
- Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed
surgical procedure in the United States, with more than 1.5 million
procedures performed each year.
- Cataract surgery is usually covered by medical
insurance, including Medicare.
- Cataract surgery is usually done as an outpatient
procedure under local anesthesia. In this procedure, the Eye M.D.
makes a tiny incision through which he or she removes the cloudy lens
and replaces it with a permanent artificial lens.
- Lasers are not currently used to remove cataracts.
But they are sometimes used after cataract surgery to remove a film
that can grow on the lens implant.
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If you
think you may have a cataract, you don't have to live with it. Talk to
your Eye M.D. about your options.
- There are no medications or exercises that will
prevent the formation or progression of cataracts or make a cataract
disappear.
- Although it is very safe and effective, cataract
surgery is surgery and you need to carefully decide if it is right for
you. If the cataract does not interfere with your life, you may decide
surgery is not warranted.
- Talk to your Eye M.D. if cataracts are interfering
with your lifestyle.
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