Age: Most people older than 60 years have cataract.

Medical conditions: Diabetes and other systemic diseases, glaucoma, and metabolic abnormalities can cause cataract. We can work to control these causes.

Eye injuries: These are called traumatic cataract. A blow to the eye, great heat or cold, chemical injury, exposure to radiation and other injuries can lead to cataract formation. We can limit this with immediate treatment.

Ultraviolet radiation (UVA or UVB): Long-term exposure to sunlight is believed to speed the development of cataract. We can help prevent this with proper protection in your glasses.

Oral steroids and other medications: Oral steroids (such as prednisone), the gout medication allopurinol, the breast cancer drug tamoxifen, the heart medication amiodorone, and the long-term use of aspirin have also been associated with cataract. We can monitor your eyes for this.

Smoking: All studies indicate that smokers are twice as likely to develop cataract as non-smokers and that quitting can reduce the risk for developing cataract. We will try to help you with this.

These may include: A visual acuity test, to find out how clearly the person can see an object. It involves reading a list of letters from across a room.

• A-scan (Invasive ultrasound biometry): he most common use of the A-scan is to determine eye length for calculation of intraocular lens power
• A slit-lamp examination uses a microscope to inspect the cornea, the iris, the lens, and the space between the iris and the cornea
• Tonometry measures the pressure inside the eye
• A retinal examination is carried out after using eye drops to dilate the pupils

In a retinal examination, dilating the pupils provides a larger window to the back of the eyes. The specialist examines the lens for signs of a cataract, and to see how dense any clouding is.

If the impact is mild, surgical treatment may not be needed. During the early stages, stronger glasses and brighter lights may help improve vision. The following tips may help people who are not ready yet to have surgery:

• Make sure any glasses have the most accurate prescription possible
• Use a magnifying glass for reading
• Get brighter lamps for the house, such as halogen lamps
• Wear sunglasses to reduce glare on sunny days
• Avoid driving at night

Micro Incision Cataract Surgery

Micro incision cataract surgery (MICS) is an approach to cataract surgery through incision less than 1.8 mm with the purpose of reducing surgical invasiveness improving at the same time surgical outcomes. Confirmed advantages of MICS are the control and avoidance of surgically induced corneal astigmatism and the decrease of postoperative corneal aberrations Over the years the size of corneal incision made during cataract surgery has considerably reduced Leading to improved visual outcome & quicker post procedure recovery for the patient
1) Requires a very small incision of about 2mm
2)Cataract is emulsified into small pieces by phacoemulsification and a foldable IOL is implanted
3) Walk-in, Walk-out procedure
4) Stitchless, bloodless, painless surgery
5) Quick healing and post-operative recovery

Phacoemulsification

Is a modern cataract surgery in which the eye's internal lens is emulsified with an ultrasonic handpiece and aspirated from the eye. Aspirated fluids are replaced with irrigation of balanced salt solution to maintain the anterior chamber. Characteristics are
1)Requires a small incision of 3.2 mm
2) Stitchless surgery
3) Cataract is emulsified and removed using an ultrasonic phacoemulsification probe
4) Foldable IOL is implanted

Multifocal IOLs

Are popular as they allow correction of vision for both far & near distance at the same time. It is designed so that your brain learns to select the right focus automatically. An intraocular lens (or IOL) is a tiny, artificial lens for the eye. It replaces the eye's natural lens that is removed during cataract surgery.