Cataract is the leading cause of blindness. It is the clouding of the normal clear lens of the eye, which results in blurred, clouded vision. Cataracts can be removed only with surgery.
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clouded lens in cataract illustration: Difference between Normal eye and Cataract eye?
Did You Know that the variations on cataract surgery, the removal of a clouded lens in the eye, were practised by many ancient cultures? One surgical practice was called couching, which displaced the lens by pushing it out of the line of vision with a couching needle.
Cataract surgery involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a clear artificial lens. The artificial lens, called an IOL, is positioned in the same place as your natural lens. It remains a permanent part of your eye.