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The lens inside the eye is critical for crisp, clear vision. Without it we would need glasses as thick as Coke® bottle bottoms to see the world clearly. For most of our lives, the natural lens is flexible and clear - allowing us to see objects both in the distance and at near. Around the age of forty-five, however, the lens becomes rigid and is no longer able to change focus. This leads to the condition known as presbyopia. Although annoying, this condition is generally treatable with reading glasses or bifocals.

However, with time the lens in the eye hardens further resulting in blurred vision. Just as a piece of plexiglass exposed to sunlight will slowing turn grey, then yellow, then brown, so do our lenses lose clarity and change color. A discolored, or cloudy lens no longer allows all of the light through to the retina. When it blocks enough light to limit vision even with spectacles, the lens is generally considered to have become a cataract.

David Richardson, M.D.

Medical Director

San Gabriel Valley Eye Associates, Inc.

Website: http://www.sgveye.com/

Blog: http://www.about-eyes.com/

Cataract Audio CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/DavidDRichardsonMD

San Gabriel Office:

207 S. Santa Anita St., Suite P-25

San Gabriel, CA 91776

(626) 289-7856

Pasadena Office:

800 E. Colorado Blvd.

Suite 450

Pasadena, CA 91101

(626) 289-2223

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14y ago
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8y ago

The origin of this word, like most medical terms, is from the Latin word - cataracta.

It means a physical barrier in the eye . When the lens in the eye becomes cloudy, it "blocks" light from entering and is a physical barrier - of sorts - in the eye.

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11y ago

I think Cataract means a waterfall

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