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Show Eye project offers Utahns new hope Ophthalmology is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The toll-free num-. ber for those who need help is 1-800-222-EYES (3937). "It had been a long, long time since I could see really clearly. I had my surgery at about 10: 30 in the morning, and that night-as soon as 1 took the pad off the eye-I could see." Like 85-year-old Mary Cassenel-li, Cassenel-li, 133 older Utah residents with cataracts have called the National Eye Care Project Helpline - 1-800-222-EYES (3937) - for medical attention or information about their eyes. The Helpline service is available to U.S. citizens or legal residents age 65 and over who do not already have access to an ophthalmologist. "Volunteer ophthalmologists throughout the state are especially trying to reach those who can't afford medical care," said John F. Ramsey, M.D., President of the out, however. Often a cararact covers only a small part of the lens, and if sight is not greatly impaired, there is no need to remove it. Cataracts are a part of the natural natu-ral aging process of the protein component of the lens, and are common in people over age 65. A study published last month in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" reported that, in addition to clearing vision, cataract surgery can improve mental health and the performance of daily manual tasks among patients. What does the world look like through a cataract? Vision might be hazy, fuzzy, blurred, or double vision might occur as a cataract is beginning to form. Light and glare sensitivity might also be signs that a cataract is forming. The National Eye Care Project, sponsored by the Utah Ophthalmo-logical Ophthalmo-logical Society and the Foundation of the American Academy of Utah Ophthalmological Society. "It's no wonder that more than 55 percent of all new cases of blindness blind-ness each year occur in people age 65 and over," said Dr. Ramsey, adding that 34 percent of Helpline patients had never had an eye exam until they called the toll-free number. Since it opened in January 1986, the Utah Helpline has referred 457 patients to volunteer ophthalmologists. ophthalmo-logists. Estimates are that 133 patients pa-tients have been diagnosed with cataracts in some stage of development, develop-ment, and 16 of these have had surgical sur-gical treatment. Through the Helpline, eligible callers are put in touch with a local ophthalmologist who will examine them and, if necessary, provide treatment-at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Participating Utah ophthalmologists will treat them, and accept Medicare or insurance in-surance coverage as payment in full (for this project). A cataract is a clouding of the normally transparent lense of the eye, which blocks light from the retina and limits visiion. Current surgical techniques are highly successful, suc-cessful, with more than 90 percent of patients regaining useful vision. Not all cataracts need to come |