Cataracts are more common as you age, in diabetics, and in patients with glaucoma. Cataract surgery is the only way cataracts can be removed — they cannot be treated with glasses, contacts, or LASIK.

Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the U.S., with nearly 4 million procedures each year. During surgery, your ophthalmologist removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL), restoring vision to between 20/20 and 20/40 for most patients.