DEAR DR. GOTT: I recently read somewhere that there is a new cataract treatment that uses an infrared laser to bleach the age-induced yellowing of the lens — as opposed to lens-replacement surgery. Would you please discuss this in your column?
DEAR READER: In March 2010, The New York Times science section discussed this very subject. Cataracts are commonly treated by removing the damaged lens and replacing it with a synthetic version; however, the procedure is invasive and costly. As an alternative, an ophthalmologist and his colleagues at the Glostrup Hospital at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark came up with what they believe is a promising alternative — bleaching the yellowed lens with a laser. [Read more...]