text:  The organization describing a cataract as a part of the natural aging process as cells in the lens begin to clump together more and more. Over time, this becomes an increasingly visually significant cataract, essentially the clouding of the eye. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there's an estimated 20.5% of Americans over the age of 40 with a cataract in one or both eyes, and more than 6 million have had their lens removed by surgery.