(ARA) - Maybe. New kinds of artificial lenses are offering many seniors an option for improving their vision as part of cataract surgery. Cataracts are a fact of life and a natural part of aging that results in clouding vision. Left untreated, cataracts can lead to vision loss that can really cramp your style.

People with cataracts have more car accidents, are more likely to suffer injuries from falls, and tend to withdraw from social activities and other interests. Thus cataract surgery, which restores vision, is one of the most common surgical procedures for older Americans. It's also one of the most important procedures in terms of maintaining a good quality of life, because it helps you remain active and involved.

Treatment for cataracts requires the removal of the eye's natural lens, a structure within the eye located behind the iris. Following removal of the cataract-damaged lens during surgery, an artificial lens is implanted. Conventional artificial lenses typically give patients good distance vision, restoring their ability to drive and perform most daily tasks. However, patients usually need to wear reading glasses to see clearly at near distances. This kind of conventional cataract surgery is paid for by Medicare.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved new, high-technology artificial lenses. They help patients see near for reading and close work, and far for things such as driving. In clinical trials for one of the lenses, about 80 percent of patients said they no longer need to use reading glasses. For other patients, glasses were still needed, at least for some tasks.

The option for patients interested in reducing or eliminating their dependence on reading glasses is that they can choose to pay the extra cost for high technology lenses. Medicare will pay part of the cost of surgery, but it will not cover the high technology lenses and the additional examinations.

Are these lenses for you? "It depends on how much you value reduced dependence or freedom from glasses," says I. Howard Fine, M.D., an ophthalmic surgeon and chairman of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation. "Patients must have realistic expectations. While these lenses represent a giant step forward in vision restoration, they do not offer perfection. Patients should work closely with their ophthalmologist to decide if it's right for them."

For more information on cataract surgery and high technology artificial lenses, visit the Eye Surgery Education Council patient information Web site Read Clearly Again at www.readclearlyagain.org, or ask your local ophthalmologist. The Web site offers explanatory videos, in-depth information on vision restoration, and information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration trials about these exciting new lenses.

Courtesy of ARAcontent