A posterior capsule opacity (PCO) is the most common among those few cataract surgery complications, including eye inflammation, infections and a dislocated IOL. The reason for a PCO comes from the lens capsule, which will be maintained during a surgery. About 20% of patients have haziness on their intact posterior capsules, so that even if the lens has been replaced with a successful IOL, the vision is still blurry. A PCO is not a “secondary cataract”. Cataracts will never recur once removed.

Most cataract surgeons can deal with common types of cataracts, such as removing clouded lens and replacing a standard IOL. What the patient should pay attention to are the types of IOLs and their costs.

Early signs of cataracts such as declining visual clarity may be ok. You are still able to drive, watch television and so on. But if your daily lives are severely affected by advanced cataracts that can not be corrected by eyeglasses or contacts, it is the right time to receive a cataract surgery. During a surgery, the clouding on your lens will be removed and an artificial intraocular lens will be implanted to restore your focusing power.

Cataracts refer to the clouding on the eye’s natural lens, which is caused by the proteins’ abnormal clustering on the lens. While the lens is responsible for keeping clear vision, cataracts make it hard to see. Cataracts are usually seen on old people, since their ever well-arranged proteins are more probably to clump together as they age. Different types of cataracts affect different parts of the lens. A subcapsular cataract affects the back of the lens, which may be caused by diabetes, high hyperopia or high doses of steroids. A cortical cataract forms in the lens cortex, which may results from diabetes. Associated with aging, a nuclear cataract is the most common type, which forms in the nucleus.

Cataracts have become one of the most significant causes of blindness, so that a large number of studies and researches are focusing on the way to prevent cataracts or slow down their progression.