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Causes Of Cataract Blindness

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Investigate the causes and treatment of cataract blindness.
What is cataract blindness?
This is a type of blindness that is caused by a cataract, which is a clouding in the eye’s normally clear lens. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and can affect either or both eyes. The normally clear or black pupil becomes clouded with a grey, milky colour and causes vision to become proportionally reduced. It has a great impact on a human’s independence because a cataract only allows light and dark to be distinguished. Who suffers from cataracts?
Cataracts can occur in humans as well as dogs and are commonly associated with ageing, although some children are born with cataracts called congenital cataracts. Cataracts are very common …show more content…

In order for sight to be restored, the cataract does not have to be fully mature, however, when the cataract begins to interfere with daily activities, it is necessary to have surgery. Cataract surgery is performed in most countries by an ophthalmologist and is a relatively painless procedure to regain vision. It involves removing the cloudy lens tissue from the eye, which is replaced with an implant called an intraocular lens (IOL). The power of the implant is calculated individually for each eye so that the image for distance is brought to focus on the eye’s retina. After surgery a person is able to see clearly within a few hours and until the eye is completely healed, medication and care is required for a few …show more content…

It was Fred Hollows’ dream to create intraocular lenses and provide them to the world at a low cost. The Foundation set up IOL factories in Eritrea and Nepal as part of their early work in attempt to lower the cost of cataract surgery so that it is more affordable for people in developing countries. The factories have produced over 4 million lenses since they’ve opened, and the low cost of production means that cataract surgery can cost as little as $25 in some countries. The Fred Hollows Foundation supports outreach services that enable more people to access the post-operative and follow-up

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