Cataracts and cataract operations (1).

Cataract operations are commonly performed in either a primary-care or a tertiary-care center. A plethora of information (some of which is unfounded) has been disseminated in the lay news media about the advances in the surgical techniques of cataract removal. This article reviews some of the recent concepts about the formation of cataracts and the modern approaches for their extraction. It is directed at the nonophthalmologic primary-care physician who refers patients for evaluation or performs the ancillary tests in preparation for a cataract operation. Space limitations prevent a complete review of the subject. Some of the controversial aspects of cataract surgical procedures are addressed objectively, but bias is unavoidable.