Senior Spectrum
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August 2008
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Vision - Ophthalmology
Removing the veil of misunderstanding
Clear understanding of the nature of cataracts has habitually been obscured by erroneous beliefs. The ancient Romans and Greeks believed that cataracts were evil liquids that flowed into the eye. Even the brilliant Leonardo da Vinci maintained that a cataract was a phlegm that covered and clouded the front of the lens. It wasn't until the 17th century a German anatomy professor named Warner Rolfink actually conducted a series of dissections that it was confirmed that a cataract is simply a clouded lens.
Even today, popular misconceptions persist that a cataract is either a skin or a growth or film covering the eye. However, a cataract is none of these. It is a loss of transparency of the normally clear lens.
Note - to stave off cataracts, protect your eyes from direct exposure to sunlight and eat foods rich in antioxidants.