Eye cataracts are treated only by being removed. But there is no way to keep the eye’s lens in place and just remove the cataract. In cataract eye surgery, the entire lens must be replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL).

A cataract is an alteration in the nature of the clear lens. The lens sits behind the cornea, pupil and iris, and after light passes through and is bent by the cornea, it passes through the lens. Both the cornea and the lens are curved, transparent structures. They both allow light through and both bend it as it passes through. In this way, the light focuses on the retina and gives clear vision, assuming a 20/20 eye. Of course, many people are nearsighted or farsighted, having a cornea which is too steep or too flat. These conditions are treated with LASIK. However, the lens cannot be treated. If it starts to become clouded by a cataract, eye surgery is required.

Cataract causes
Cataracts are strongly age-related but can also be caused by some systemic diseases, by ultraviolet light, some medications, an eye injury, or by diabetes. The lens is primarily made up of water and proteins. The connection between eye cataracts and aging is not fully understood, but it would seem that aging, with its increasing dryness in the body, can cause the proteins to clump together and form tiny opaque areas which block light. Also, the lens is sealed inside a capsule, a membrane which surrounds it. Old cells dying can become caught inside the membrane, again forming tiny clumps which block the passage of light.