Know Your Cataract Type!
Theoretically, it is the responsibility of an eye doctor to know the different types of cataract, but practically, such knowledge would oblige them to treat the cataract instead of removing it surgically, which they do not want to do. Therefore, eye doctors, in a blatant denial of a doctor's responsibility to treat, profess ignorance of cataract type and pathology.
However, even though the eye doctor does not care what type you have, it is important for a cataract patient to know the type, since the natural approach to reversing the cataract depends on knowing.
Type 1: Nuclear cataract, the most common type, is largely due to simple aggregation of lens proteins including alpha-crystallin. It can often be reversed by increasing intake of green leafy vegetables containing lutein, such as turnip greens and kale, by lutein eyedrops (no longer available), or by lutein supplementation.
Type 2: Cortical cataract. Can often be reversed by use of N-acetylcarnosine (NAC) eyedrops, widely available on the Net.
Type 3: Posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC, less common). This is the most visually disabling cataract because the opacities are situated on the visual axis. It is the type I have, and it often progresses rapidly to blindness. Moreover, it is not amenable to lutein supplementation or NAC eyedrops, not only because it is in the most difficult location for eyedrops to reach, but because its pathology is different. I believe it is largely due to cluttering by complexes of AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-Products), often colored or fluorescent, formed by covalent bonds between sugars in the vitreous with alpha-crystallin.
The three main AGEs involved here are pentosidine, imidazolone, and carboxymethyllysine (CML). Theoretically, it would be possible to break up such AGE complexes only by proteolytic enzymes, but any enzymes used must not attack any of the other structures in the eye.
You can ask your eye doctor to photograph your cataracts, and tell you which type you have.
If you have nuclear or cortical cataract, you're in luck, because you can start reversing them with lutein supplementation, or NAC eyedrops, right away. But for those of us with the worst type, PSC, let's not despair. If anyone has some good ideas how to deal with PSC, please post them here.