Cataracts are very common in the aging population. In Australia, about half of those aged between 65 and 74 have some cataract. About 70 percent of those aged 75 and over have this condition.
Although aging is the most common cause, cataracts can also occur in babies and children. They may develop as a result of injury or eye disease and can also be associated with medical conditions such as diabetes. Both steroids use and long term unprotected exposure to sunlight increase the risk of cataracts too. Other risk factors include air pollution and heavy alcohol consumption.
Cataracts are not caused by reading in a bad light or eye strain.

A cataract is not a growth over the eye, and it won't cause pain or discomfort.
The most common symptoms are:
Blurred vision
Glare or sensitivity to light
Poor night vision
Double vision in one eye
Needing brighter light to read
Fading or yellowing of colours

Your Optometrist is usually the first person to visit if your eyes are causing you problems. A careful evaluation by your optometrist can detect the presence of a cataract. An evaluation will also rule out any other possible eye diseases that may be causing blurred vision or other eye problems.
If your eyes need further treatment and care, you will be referred to an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specialises in caring for all aspects of your eyes.

It's really up to you as to when to have the surgery. Cataracts create vision problems such as halos, blurriness, glare and dimmed colours, and when the symptoms worsen, your quality of life and ability to perform everyday tasks will diminish. Usually the deciding factor is how much vision you have lost, and how much this interferes with your enjoyment of life.
Sometimes, a change of glasses eg, stronger bifocals or the use of magnifying lenses will be enough to temporarily improve your vision. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision. Cataract patients of any age group will benefit from the surgery.

Cataract surgery is performed in the operating theatre under local anaesthesia and most people do not need to stay overnight in a hospital. However, you will need a friend or family member to take you home, as you may be given sedative medication during the surgery. After the operation, your Ophthalmologist will prescribe eye drops and arrange for you to return for post-operative care over the following weeks. Your eye may be covered or protected for one night, until review by your surgeon the next day. You will be able to function normally from Day 1 but strenuous activities must be avoided for some weeks.

This is one of the most common and most successful surgeries performed in Australia today. Serious complications are very rare with modern cataract surgery. However no surgery is entirely risk free, when they occur they could result in loss of vision. Complications are including endophthalmitis, posterior capsular opacification and retinal detachment.
Ask your ophthalmologist to explain anything you do not understand. You may wish to write down questions to ask your ophthalmologist to help you make an informed decision.

There are many variations in technique, the most common being small incision phacoemulsification surgery with implantation of an intra-ocular lens chosen specifically to match your eye.
Until recently the only intraocular lens choice for most people has been a monofocal (single focus) lens with the focus set for distance vision. This means that reading glasses are required for near vision. Another option is to leave the second eye with near focus when that eye has its cataract surgery. This is called monovision, where one eye is set for distance focus and the other for near focus. However, this means that the distance vision in the near focus eye without a spectacle lens is not as sharp as it could be. Many people find this situation very useful and some find it intolerable.
In recent years newer multifocal IOLs have been produced which can mimic natural vision and allow focusing at far and near, making reading glasses less necessary. These multifocal IOLs can potentially restore a full range of vision for cataract patients. They provide the ability to simultaneously focus on faraway objects, and on near objects. The result is increased spectacle independence across a range of distances. Generally, Long-sighted patients have found multifocal IOLs most easily adaptable while short-sighted patients are not as happy with it.

A cataract cannot return because the lens has been removed. However, in about 5% of all people who have phacoemulsification, the lens capsule later becomes cloudy, which is posterior capsular opacification. This cloudiness of the lens capsule usually develops a year or more after surgery. It causes the same vision problems as a cataract does. The treatment for this condition is a procedure called YAG capsulotomy. Your ophthalmologist uses a laser to make an opening in the membrane behind the implant, immediately improving vision. This is done painlessly in the office without an anaesthetic and takes just a few minutes and does not require a hospital stay. Most people see better after YAG capsulotomy, but, as with cataract surgery, complications can occur. YAG capsulotomies are not performed as a preventative measure.

When a cataract is removed and it is replaced by a monofocal (single focus) lens. Normally, this will restore the distance vision. However, Glasses will be prescribed for your new eye, particularly to help with reading vision.
Newer generation of multifocal IOL can help you with both distance and near vision; you may still need glasses for some activities depending on your vision requirement.