Cataract

A cataract is clouding of the eye’s natural lens that scatters or blocks light and can reduce vision. It often develops gradually with age but can also result from injury, disease, or medication.

Crystalline lens: The transparent structure in the eye that focuses light onto the retina and changes shape for near vision. Cataracts form when this normally transparent lens becomes cloudy.
Slit lamp examination: An eye examination using a microscope and a narrow beam of light to inspect structures at the front of the eye. It lets clinicians inspect the lens and identify cataract location and extent.
Age-related cataract: A cataract that develops as lens changes accumulate with age. It is the most common form and reflects gradual changes in lens structure.
Refractive error: A focusing problem in which the eye does not bring light to a sharp focus on the retina. Blur from refractive error may improve with lenses, unlike opacity within the natural lens.
Lens protein: Proteins such as crystallins make up much of the lens and help keep it transparent. Changes in lens proteins contribute to the clumping and disorganization that cloud the lens.
Cataract surgery: An operation that removes the cloudy natural lens and usually replaces it with an artificial lens. It is the definitive treatment when cataracts substantially impair vision or daily activities.
Congenital cataract: A cataract present at birth or developing during early childhood. It can interfere with visual development and may require treatment early in life.
Glaucoma: A group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, often associated with raised intraocular pressure. It can impair vision through nerve damage rather than clouding the lens.
Light scattering: The deflection of light in multiple directions by particles or irregularities in a material. A cloudy lens scatters incoming light, reducing contrast and producing glare.
Intraocular lens calculation: The measurement and calculation used to select an artificial lens’s power before cataract surgery. Accurate power selection helps focus light on the retina after lens replacement.

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