cataract surgery is 'the most successful procedure in all of medicine'

weinstein, chair of the eye physicians and surgeons of ontario and co-founder of the ocular health centre in kitchener, ont. , has practiced as an ophthalmologist and surgeon for over 20 years. he’s performed more than 15,000 cataract surgeries where vision loss can be reversed and eyesight restored.

with cataracts commonly developing with age, the demand for surgery is rising exponentially as our population ages. the need has made headlines recently with youtube star mrbeast, jimmy donaldson, footing the bill for cataract removal for 1,000 people living with blindness or near-blindness around the world who couldn’t afford the surgery. it is one of the most commonly performed surgeries in canada where costs are covered under health insurance plans.

the wait for cataract surgery is at least one year

what are cataracts?

a cataract is the natural lens inside your eye that helps focus light. as you get older, that lens becomes cloudy or changes colour, making it difficult to see. while you can be born with congenital cataracts, cataract degeneration from genetic conditions can take place at a younger age or certain medications such as long-term use of anti-inflammatory steroid medications, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels), can cause cataracts to develop, according to the mayo clinic .

but for the vast majority of the population, it’s an age-related change where the lenses in your eyes become thicker, less flexible and less transparent. as the cataract develops over time, the clouding becomes denser and increasingly interferes with your vision. an estimated 5.59 million canadians have an eye disease that could cause loss of sight, reports the cnib , with cataracts cited as the leading cause of blindness, “

what are the risk factors for cataracts?

preventing cataracts