The natural lens in the human eye is crystal clear, also called crystalline lens. When the crystalline lens becomes opaque, it is called a cataractous lens (cataract, motia, parala).Because of it’s clear & transparent narute, one can see everything clearly. When the lens starts becoming opaque, vision gradually decreases and with increasing time the cataract becomes visually significant, causing difficulty in day to day activity.
In most of the cases, cataract develops as an age related process (usually after the age of 50 years). But it can also develop at birth or early years of life. Any kind of injury to a natural lens can also cause cataracts.
Treatment of cataract: At the early stage of cataract development, vision may get improved with changing glass power. But when it becomes more dense, surgery is the only option. Standard surgical procedure for cataract is removal of cloudy or opaque lens and placement of a clear synthetic lens (IOL) inside the eye. This can be done either by manual SICS (Small Incision Cataract Surgery) or Phacoemulsification (using ultrasonic or laser power).
