Pope Francis says will undergo cataract eye surgery

Pope Francis has revealed he needs to have cataract surgery, a common procedure for older people because his eyesight is failing.

“At my age, for example, you get cataracts, and you do not see well reality: next year we will have to have an operation,” Francis said during a meeting with inmates of a Rome prison on Thursday.

It was a casual aside while the 81-year-old pontiff was speaking about the need for people to “renew their gaze” in their approach to life, and to perform “cataract surgery on the soul.”

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, having a cataract can be like looking through a foggy or dusty car windshield. Things may look blurry, hazy or less colourful.

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This happens when the eye’s internal lens goes cloudy, and the problem is resolved by its replacement with a clear artificial lens.

According to media report, the operation has a high success rate.