A cataract is a clouding of the part of the eye, called the lens, which is normally transparent. When cataracts exist, the cloudiness interferes with the way that light passes through the lens to the back of the eye. People find that their vision is blurred, or they may "see double," their colour vision may change, or it may be difficult to see in bright light.

The development of cataracts is normally related to the natural process of ageing. About half of all people over 65 have started to develop a cataract in one or both of their eyes. People with diabetes are likely to develop cataracts about ten years earlier than those without the condition.

The most common treatment for cataracts is an operation to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear artificial replacement. [Source: BUPA Health Information]



Below is a colorful and vivid account of a patient's cataract surgery:

I did manage to keep my hands at my sides, as I have during root canals, though here there are no chair arms to dig my nails into. Then something happens, and everything turns into a dancing pink blob - in my case, with two blue squares.

This, I have not seen before. I've seen Mickey Mouse and Snoopy flying a psychedelic pink doghouse, but I was pretty sure that was just in my mind. This is not.

It goes on for a while, the pink blob jitterbugging left and right as the surgeon says things like, "I'm aspirating the lens now" and tears run into my nose as if a faucet had been left running inside my eyeball.

And then it's over, the searchlight mercifully goes off, the plastic lid is taped on and the surgeon is congratulating me and describing how, in India, this is done without even the eyedrops, and I am thinking that I had not previously thought of India as a sadistic place, but I am never, ever going to get a root canal there.

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