Cataract

What is a cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens of the eye which is situated behind the iris (the coloured part of the eye) The lens focuses the rays of light from an object to form an image on the retina at the back of the eye.  This is not a perfect system and sometimes prescription lenses are required to sharpen the clarity on the image of the retina.

More than half of the population aged 65 years and older have some degree of cataract formation, this is part of the normal ageing process.  However cataracts can be associated with certain diseases particularly in younger people, for example diabetes, chronic eye inflammation, certain drugs such as steroids and following eye injury.  Children and new-born infants can inherit cataracts or develop them as a result of infections.

Symptoms of cataracts

Common symptoms of cataracts include blurred vision, double vision or multiple images, poor vision in bright light, glare problems and impaired colour perception.  Any of these symptoms is sufficient reason to seek the advice of an eye surgeon.