How can we treat cataracts generally nowadays?

Surgery: The only treatment for cataracts at this day and age in the USA is surgery.

Surgery: Removal (excision) of cataracts is the treatment of choice.

Surgically: Cataracts are treated surgically. The affected lens is removed usually during a bloodless, laser based operation, and an artificial lens is implanted in its place. Interestingly, vision tends to improve after cataract surgery.

Glasses: Cataract surgery is contraindicated if glasses can correct the visual disturbance. Sometimes only distance glasses are needed, other times only reading glasses are needed, most of the time 3 prescriptions are needed: distance, arms length distance, reading distance. Trifocals, bifocals, and no line bifocals are fine. http://www.guideline.gov/content.aspx?id=10173&search=cataract.

When glasses fail: When glasses fail to correct the vision that is desirable to the patient, cataract surgery is considered. In general, the safest type of surgery is when the lens is removed via ultrasound called phacoemulsification instead of a large incision. In rare situations, a large incision is needed to remove the lens because ultrasound is not safe.

Ultrasound/laser: Today, laser is emerging as an option to assist the surgeon in making precision cuts during cataract surgery. However, ultrasound power must still be used at some point during the surgery. Laser assisted cataract surgery is rare because the technology is so new. Maybe 1-2 centers offer it per city. The addition of adding another tool to this surgery points to more safety.

Laser: Yag laser is used to remove secondary cataracts. This term is used by some insurance and coding books. The real term is posterior capsular opacification. This film appears weeks to years on the implanted lens. Removal takes a few minutes in the office. The person can return to work immediately. Complications are rare.

Diabetes cataract: One must keep in mind that cataract surgery in general is elective, and if diabetes can be best controlled prior to surgery, the outcome tends to be better. Higher incidence of infections, macular edema, worsening of diabetes have all been associated with diabetes. Close follow up post op is suggested.

No stitch surgery: I would not let this be a criteria to choose a surgeon. The best surgeons I have met use a suture to close the wound. This helps prevent infection. Studies have shown that no stitch surgery allows the passage of material into the eye with blinking as the eye is healing for the first 24 hours. The risk of infection is very rare, but i would not want to be the patient without a stitch on my wound.

Cataract surgery: Cataract surgery is usually performed using an ultrasound probe called a phaco tip. Phaco breaks up the cataract into tiny pieces, which are then aspirated from the eye. A newer technique uses a femtosecond laser to break up the cataract. This technique is not available in every city in the USA.

Cataract surgery: Cataract surgery is the surgical procedure performed when the natural lens in the eye becomes opaque ("cloudy") affecting vision. The cloudy lens is removed surgically and replaced with an artificial intra-ocular lens (iol).