Procedure among safest in U.S.

• Position: Cataract surgery - Brief article

Here is an eye-opening statistic from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.: By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. A cataract occurs when the normally clear lens in the eye becomes cloudy, blurring vision and preventing the lens from focusing an image on the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. While cataracts do not spread from one eye to another, both eyes commonly are affected.

The only effective treatment for a cataract is surgery to remove the clouded lens. Typically, it is replaced with an artificial one known as an intraocular lens. Made from clear plastic, acrylic, or silicone, intraocular lenses become a permanent part of the eye. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective procedures performed in the U.S. In years past, it often was recommended that patients wait for a cataract to turn white before having it removed...