FAQ

A cataract is a cloudiness of the eye's natural lens, which lies between the front and back areas of the eye.

About half of the population has a cataract by age 65, and nearly everyone over 75 has at least one. But in rare cases, infants can have congenital cataracts. These are usually related to the mother having German measles, chickenpox, or another infectious disease during pregnancy, but sometimes they are inherited.

A cataract usually starts very small and practically unnoticeable but grows gradually larger and cloudier. Your doctor is probably waiting until the cataract interferes significantly with your vision and your lifestyle.

On the Mission Cataract web site, click on doctors and clinics for participating practices.. If there is a Mission Cataract doctor in your state, contact the physician’s office directly and see if they can help you.

Mission Cataract USA, a non-profit organization, provides free cataract surgery to individuals of all ages in the United States who have no Medicare, Medicaid, third party insurance or any other means to pay for needed cataract surgery.

The date of the surgery varies from state to state.

Some Mission Cataract doctors accept out of state patients, but many do not. Call the individual doctor’s office to find out of they accept out of state patients.

We are actively recruiting new Mission Cataract volunteer surgeons, so please keep checking our web site.