By the way, doctor: What can I do to prevent cataracts?
Cataracts aren't made of calcium but rather of clumps of protein. Normally, the lens of the eye works like a camera lens to focus light on the retina at the back of the eye (see illustration) and to adjust the eye's focus, which allows us to see things clearly at varying distances. The cells of the lens are composed of water and protein arranged in a way that keeps the lens clear. For reasons that aren't fully understood, the protein molecules may clump together and start to cloud the lens. This is the beginning of a cataract. The effect has been likened to cooking an egg white.
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