Growing older is not without its share of unusual and pesky symptoms. Perhaps one of the most annoying of the bunch is a gradual loss or clouding over of sight that many people begin to experience as they age.

This particular “side effect” of aging is known as a cataract and it’s just one of those things that will not go away no matter how hard a person tries to ignore it. In fact, it’s likely to get worse without medical intervention.

So, what is a cataract anyway? It’s nothing more than a clouding over of the eye’s natural lens. While it’s most common in aging, this issue can arise in earlier years, mostly due to trauma.

No matter what age a cataract happens to start forming at, this condition is progressive and is considered untreatable by means such as drops or medications. It is, however, very, very curable.

Courtesy of modern medical procedures, doctors can now use state-of-the-art lasers and ultrasound technology to carefully remove the cloudy eye lens and replace it with a new one. The end result is a clearer field of vision for most and greatly enhanced eyesight for many.

All told, a cataract removal procedure isn’t all that involved on the patient’s end either. This procedure is 
generally performed on an outpatient basis and only takes a short time to complete. Unlike the old process used in decades’ past, there’s no need for a hospital stay and the recovery time is especially short. Most people are back at their normal routines within a few short days.

If vision problems are a concern, it’s probably time to get a cataract screening. Your eye doctor can help with this. Aside from that cloudy vision, other symptoms to look for include double vision, problems with night vision, dimmed eyesight and decreased contrast.