Cataract is clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. It is one of the most common causes of the vision loss for the people over the age of 40 and is also the principal cause of blindness in the world. The fact there are more cases of the cataract worldwide that there are of glaucoma, muscular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy combined.

Types of cataract include:

• Subcapsular cataract

A subcapsular cataract occurs at the back of the lens. People who are suffering from diabetes or those who are taking high doses of steroid medication have a greater risk of developing this type of cataract.

• Nuclear cataract

Nuclear cataract forms in the central nucleus of the lens. It is usually associated with the aging of the patients.

• Cortical cataract

This type of cataract is distinguished by white, wedge-like opacities that start in the periphery of the lens and work their way to the center in a spoke-like fashion. This type of cataract occurs in the lens cortex, which is the part of the lens that surrounds the central nucleus.

A cataract may make the light of the sun or the lamp very bright or glaring. Or if you often drive at night you may notice that the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before. Color may not appear as bright as they once did. When a nuclear cataract develops it can bring about temporary improvement in your near vision it is also called second sight.

If the cataract is left untreated it causes continuous loss of vision, eventually leading to legal blindness or even total blindness. But when people hear the word blindness that thinks that the vision is lost and cannot be cured. In the case of blindness that is caused due to cataract, vision usually can be successfully restored with cataract surgery and implantation of the intraocular lens (IOL).

Visual outcome of the cataract surgery is so good that a person who is legally blind prior to the surgery often is able to see well enough to drive through eyeglasses after cataract extraction and IOL implantation.

For best results of the cataract surgery, it is recommended that to have the surgery performed before the cataract causes low vision or legal blindness. If cataracts is left untreated for a long time can cause severe loss of vision is more difficult to remove and also increase the risk of cataract surgery complications.