Fairfax, VA– The Eye Surgery Education Council today opened its new patient education Web site on surgery to remove cataracts as a way of providing accurate, balanced information on treating one of the most common diseases that robs older people of their independence and quality of life.

Reviewed by a panel of some of the country’s leading cataract surgeons the site, www.eyesurgeryeducation.com, gives patients information about cataracts, their formation, who is at risk for cataracts, how to know when to seek treatment, eye examinations, the benefits and risks of treatment, the types of corrective surgery used, and what patients can expect during and following surgery.

“About 60 percent of those older than 60 years and 70 percent of those older than 75 years have cataracts,” said Roger F. Steinert, MD, chairman of the Eye Surgery Education Council, and Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and a surgeon at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. “Because cataracts can seriously impair your vision, they can undermine the quality of your life by limiting or preventing you from working or enjoying what’s important to you. Fortunately, we’ve made significant strides in cataract treatment, and today, the vast majority of patients whose cataracts are treated surgically enjoy vision that is at least as good as the vision they had before they developed cataracts, he said.

“We know that people who have cataracts have about twice the rate of car accidents compared to those who have had their cataracts removed,” Steinert said adding, “similarly, those who have cataracts are more susceptible to falls, which can be serious for older people, that those who have had them removed.”

“In terms of preserving independence and a high quality of life — continuing to be active and involved in work and other activities — maintaining one’s quality of vision is key. For older people that often means treating their cataracts,” Steinert said.

For a free brochure on cataracts and their treatment call The Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC) at (703) 788-5761. The ESEC is the public education activity of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation, which also supports medical research and charitable eye care programs in developing nations.