Editor’s Note: This article is part of TheHorse.com’s ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Focus on Ophthalmology conference, held Sept. 6-8 in Raleigh, N.C.

According to the National Eye Institute, more than half of Americans over the age of 80 suffer from cataracts, an ocular disorder characterized by opacity in the eye’s lens. Similarly, many horses–from very young to very old–are affected by the same disorder. The difference? Cataract surgery to correct the problem is much more routinely employed in humans than in horses.

At the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Focus on Ophthalmology conference, held Sept. 6-8 in Raleigh, N.C., Brian C. Gilger, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVO, professor of ophthalmology at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, discussed equine cataract surgery in-depth with the veterinary audience.

Gilger explained that cataracts, which were discussed more fully in a previous lecture at the conference, are relatively common in horses of all ages and are the most common congenital ocular anomaly in foals. Cataracts can also develop as horses age, or as the result of trauma or disease, he added