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  New Treatments for Cataracts | Bottom Line Inc Tom Cioffi 8–11 minutes Got cataracts? You’re in good company. Half of all 75-year-olds have developed this vision-obscuring clouding of the lens in one or both eyes…and by age 85, that percentage jumps to 70%. Conventional cataract treatment involves surgically replacing the lens of the eye. About four million cataract removals and replacements are performed annually in the US. The success rate is impressive—about 90% of patients see their vision improve. But not everyone is a candidate for the procedure. Some patients have to wait until other medical conditions have been treated. Co-occurring eye diseases such as macular edema or retinal detachment, heart disease or a history of retinal bleeding may render some people poor surgical candidates. Sometimes medication, including alpha-blockers such as tamsulosin ­(Flomax) and terazosin (Hytrin) used to tre