A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens inside your eye. This lens, located behind the iris, works just like the lens of a camera-focusing light images on the retina, which sends images to the brain. The human lens can become so clouded it keeps light and images from reaching the retina. A cataract can be the reason sharp images become blurred, bright colors become dull, or seeing at night is more difficult. It may also be why the reading glasses orbifocals that used to help you read or do other simple tasks no longer seem to help. Vision with cataracts has been described as seeing life through old, cloudy film. But a cataract is not a "film' over the eyes, and neither diet nor lasers will make it go away, nor can it be prevented. Eye injury, certain diseases, or even some medications can cause the clouding. The best wayto treat cataract is with surgery that removes the old, clouded lens and replaces it with a new, artificial one to restore your vision and, in many ways, significantly improves your quality of life.

One of the safest and most successful procedures performed today. Huge medical advances have been made in the treatment of cataracts. For patients, cataract surgery is generally a simple, outpatient procedure with little discomfort, only requires a few hours, and uses atopicalanaesthetic. The operation itself entails making a tiny incision in the eye. Through this incision, the surgeon inserts an instrument about the size of a pen tip. This instrument breaks the cloudy lens into pieces and removes them from the eye. Once the cataract is removed, a cataract replacement lens is inserted through the same tiny incision and set into position to replace the natural lens.

Most patients typically return home the very same day as cataract surgery. Eye drops may be prescribed to guard against infection and help your eye heal. For a few days, you may need to wear an eye patch to keep away irritants. Everyone heals differently, but most patients see well enough to return to most of their routine activities within a few days of recovery.

An intraocular lens (IOL) is the replacement lens that is surgically implanted in the eye to replace the existing clouded lens during cataract surgery. The good news is that you've encountered cataracts at a time when intraocular lens technology has taken great leaps of progress. Traditionally, the replacement lens used for cataract is a mono-focal IOL.

Glaucoma is the third leading cause of irreversible blindness. It is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. Worldwide, about 70 million people have glaucoma and approximately half do not know they have it. Early on, there may be no symptoms. Optic Nerve and glaucoma Although damage to the optic nerve is permanent, early detection and treatment can help control the progression of this disease and may help to preserve vision.

One of the main causes of glaucoma is high intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by the build up of natural fluid (aqueous humor) produced by the eyes to keep them healthy and functioning normally. The eyes constantly make and drain this fluid, and pressure is needed to help keep this process in balance. High IOP occurs when drainage channels in the eyes are blocked. This increased pressure damages the optic nerve, which the eyes and brain need to communicate, leading to the destruction of the eyes nerve cells. The death of these cells leads to permanent vision loss. High IOP is a risk factor for glaucoma and the higher the pressure the greater the risk. Lowering eye pressure in glaucoma's early stages offers the best chance of preserving vision. Even if eye pressure is high, a diagnosis of glaucoma is not made until there is damage to the optic nerve. High eye pressure often does not hurt. In fact, 40% of the optic nerve can be damaged before vision loss is noticed. Glaucoma can also develop in people with normal eye pressure.

Anyone can develop glaucoma. High eye pressure is the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma, although several other factors also increase the likelihood of developing the disease:

• Age:risk increases with age, especially after 45 years.
• Marked nearsightedness.
• Family history of glaucoma.
• Race: People of African and Asian decent are at higher risk.
• High blood pressure.
• On long term steroids.

Diagnosing glaucoma Routine eye exams are crucial to detect glaucoma before serious, irreversible vision loss occurs. As part of a comprehensive eye exam, eye specialists can perform a variety of tests to determine if someone has glaucoma. These tests include:

• Visual acuity test-familiar eye chart which measures sight at various distances.
• Dilated eye exam - widening the pupil with drops allows examination of the retina and optic nerve.
• Tonometry- measures IOP.
• Gonioscopy-view eye fluid drainage channels.
• Visual field test-measures peripheral (side) vision; loss of side vision is a sign of glaucoma.
• Disc OCT.

It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. In some cases blood vessels may swell and leak fluid, while in some other cases abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.

Diabetic retinopathy has four stages:

• Mild Non-proliferative Retinopathy.
• Moderate Non-proliferative Retinopathy.
• Severe Non-proliferative Retinopathy.
• Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.

Blood vessels damaged from diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss in two ways:

• Fragile, abnormal blood vessels can develop and leak blood into the center of the eye, blurring vision. This is proliferative retinopathy and is the fourth and most advanced stage of the disease.
• Fluid can leak into the center of the macula, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula Swell, blurring vision.

This condition is called macular edema. It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses. About half of the people with proliferative retinopathy also have macular edema.

All people with diabetes - both type 1 and type 2- are at risk.That's why everyone with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.The longer someone has diabetes,the more likely he or she will get diabetic retinopathy.

Often there are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease,nor is there any pain. Don't wait for symptoms.Be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Blurred vision may occur when the macula - the part of the retina that provides sharp central vision - swells from leaking fluid. This condition is called macular edema.If new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina,they can bleed into the eye and block vision.

Diabetic retinopathy and macular edema are detected during a comprehensive eye exam that includes:

• Visual acuity test. Dilated eye exam:Your doctor checks your retina for early signs of the disease, including: Ho Leaking blood vessels. -> Retinal swelling (macular edema). ->Pale,fatty deposits on the retina - signs of leakingblood vessels.->Damaged nerve tissue.
• Any changes to the blood vessels.If your doctor believes you need treatment for macular edema, he or she may suggest a fluorescein angiogram. The test allows your doctor to identify any leaking blood vessels and recommend treatment.

During the first three stages of diabetic retinopathy, no treatment is needed, unless you have macular edema. To prevent progression of diabetic retinopathy, people with diabetes should control their levels of blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol. Proliferative retinopathy is treated with laser surgery. This procedure is called Pan Retinal Photocoagulation which helps to shrink the abnormal blood vessels.

Eye Donation means donating the eyes of a person after death for transplantation with the family consent.Cornea is the clear tissue covering the front of the eye.

If the cornea becomes cloudy because of any disease, injury, infection or poor nutrition, vision is dramatically reduced or lost.

Corneal blindness can be treated by replacing the damaged cornea by a healthy donated human cornea. The human Cornea can be procured through Eye Donation only.

• Corneal blindness affects mainly children and young adults who have a long life ahead of them
• Though we have trained, highly qualified surgeons and hospital facilities to do the transplant, we do not have enough eye tissues to do the surgery.
• Approximately 11 lakh blind population of our country are waiting for corneal transplantation and approximately 25,000 new cases are being reported.
• One eye donation can give sight to two corneal blind persons.

Eyes should be donated within 6 - 8hrs of death. Anyone can be a donor, irrespective of age, sex, blood group or religion. Anyone with Cataract or spectacles can donate eyes. Persons suffering from hypertension, diabetes can also donate eyes. Total Enucleation takes 15-20 minutes. There is nodisfigurement of the face of the donor. About 10cc blood of the donor is also collected for testing. Eyes can be donated even if the deceased had not formally pledged his/her eyes during his/her lifetime. Eye Bank team will rush over to the donor's home or anyother place where the body is available after death. This is a free service in public interest.After pledging please inform your family about your wish to donate eyes, so that they can fulfil your wish.