-Gary
Reply:
Thank you for your inquiry. The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments.
A cataract is a clouding of the lens inside the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other. At this time, surgery is the only treatment for cataracts.
For information about cataract, please visit the following websites:
Facts About Cataracts
http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/
Medline Plus, Cataract
http://medlineplus.nlm.nih.
University of Maryland Medical Center, Cataracts
http://www.umm.edu/patiented/
We hope this information is helpful.
Office of Communication, Health Education, and Public Liaison
National Eye Institute
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2510
USA