According to
this article, researchers are now testing a new kind
of occular lens implant, one they describe as "multi-focus".
This means that people who have cataract surgery and get
these new lenses don't need glasses. (Until now, lens implants
have a fixed focal distance, so you still need glasses sometimes.) Nifty! I'd love to know how they're
doing that!
The article mentions in passing that while most people develop
cataracts as they age, some are born with congenital cataracts,
and that this latter group is the researcher's area of speciality.
This got my attention and queued up my hopes.
Frustratingly, they then say nothing else about this
aspect. And what I really want to know is: can these
new implants work for people who had cataract surgery as
children? If so, once they've spent a decade or so working out
the bugs (beta tester? I don't think so!), this is exactly the
sort of development that could make an enormous difference
for me. (The barrier until now, as I understand it, has been
that they can't put implants into eyes that have been without
lenses as long as mine have.)
I'll have to pump my opthamologist for information about this. It's been a while since I've pestered
her anyway.