A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye. Looking through a cloudy lens is like trying to see through a frosty or fogged-up window. Clouded vision can make it more difficult to read, drive a car — especially at night — or see the expression on a friend’s face. Cataracts commonly affect distance vision and cause problems with glare. They generally don’t cause surface irritation or pain.

Clouding of the lens is a normal part of getting older. About half of Americans older than 65 have some degree of clouding of the lens. After age 75, as many as 70 percent of Americans have cataracts that are significant enough to impair their vision.

Vision repair surgery, also called refractive eye surgery, is any surgical procedure used to correct vision problems. In recent years, tremendous advancements have been made in this field. After refractive surgery, many patients report seeing better than they had at any other time in their lives.

An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet chemical laser which is commonly used in eye surgery and semiconductor manufacturing typically uses a combination of an inert gas (Argon, krypton, or xenon) and a reactive gas (fluorine or chlorine). Under the appropriate conditions of electrical stimulation, a pseudo-molecule called a dimer is created, which can only exist in an energised state and can give rise to laser light in the ultraviolet range. This light is exceptionally well focussed and capable of very delicate control, and is well absorbed by biological matter and organic compounds. These properties make excimer lasers well suited to precision micromachining organic material (including certain polymers and plastics), or delicate surgeries such as eye surgery (LASIK).

Anesthesia may be placed topically (eyedrops) or via injection next to (peribulbar) or behind (retrobulbar) the eye. Oral or intravenous sedation may also be used to reduce anxiety. General anesthesia is rarely necessary, but may be employed for children and adults with particular medical or psychiatric issues.

Preventative pediatric ophthalmology is very important and it is essential to evaluate the child’s vision before the age of three. In babies, a simple refractive defect or a squint, can cause the so-called “lazy eye” or amblyopia.