Because there is presently no medical treatment for cataracts (the browning and clouding of your natural lens), the option often utilized is the removal of the natural lens of the eye, and in most cases, replacing it with a tiny, man-made lens that is inserted into your eye to restore vision. The man-made lens is called an intraocular lens, or IOL for short.

The same type of procedure can be used to treat presbyopia, which is a condition that reduces the eye's ability to switch from one focal point (objects at a distance) to another focal point (objects that are near). Presbyopia usually becomes most noticeable when an individual finds it more difficult to see or read objects that are close. Glasses or bifocals are one solution to this problem, but for those desiring independence from glasses, removal of the eye's natural lens and replacing it with an IOL can be an attractive solution.

Today's treatment is faster and more comfortable than ever, and millions of people worldwide are now enjoying excellent vision as a result of their surgical procedures.

THE PROCEDURE

Today, cataract removal is generally performed as an outpatient procedure under local or topical anesthesia. You will be fully awake, but you will be comfortable and feel no pain.

Typically, you will be asked to arrive an hour or so prior to your procedure, and you will be allowed to leave after a period of observation following your procedure. With the cataract removal process lasting only about 20 minutes, the entire procedure -- from entering the operating facility to returning home -- usually takes only a few hours.

To remove your cataract (clouded lens), your doctor will use a technique called phacoemulsification (phaco). Your doctor will make a tiny, 1/8-inch incision and insert a small phaco probe. The probe will break apart the clouded lens and suction it out.

Next, an IOL will be inserted through the same tiny incision, into the lens capsule of your eye. Because this procedure is performed through an incision that is very small, your eye will be able to heal rapidly with little or no discomfort.

Following the procedure, you will be allowed to return home within an hour or so. In most cases you will notice an immediate improvement in vision. Different people learn to use their new vision system at different rates.