Therapeutische Umschau. Revue thérapeutique
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Cataract is the leading cause of blindness or severe visual handicap worldwide (20 Million people). The majority of cataracts are age-dependent. The only known treatment so far is surgery, which therefore has become the most frequent performed surgery in all industrialized countries. ⋯ The majority of patients undergoes the surgery under topical anaesthesia and as outpatient procedure. Major complication are rare (< 1 %), may however lead to permanent visual disability (< 1 per thousand). New developments are nowadays mainly in the design and additional features of the artificial lens i.e. blueblocker, multifocal and toric lenses.