Over time the synergy of technology and skillful surgeons has made cataracts all but disappear-so much so that Dr. Richard Mackool, director of the Mackool Eye Institute and Laser Center at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary in New York City, says cataract surgery is "the most successful operation in the history of mankind." Along with Mackool, Dr. Kerry Solomon, director of the Magill Laser Center at the Medical University of South Carolina's Storm Eye Institute, assesses the risks associated with the procedure, examines the lens replacement options, and gives his thoughts on the future of lens and eye development.