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What Is a Cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other.
Fast Facts
- Age-related cataract is responsible for 48% of world blindness, which equals about 18 million people.
- Cataract is the world’s leading cause of blindness.1
- A child goes blind due to cataract every minute
- Over 80 per cent of all blindness is completely treatable.
- A staggering 50% of all children who go blind die within two years.
What Causes Cataracts?
Most cataracts are related to ageing, but children may be born with the condition (congenital cataract). Cataract may also develop after an injury, inflammation, drug use or disease.
Risk factors for age-related cataract include:
- prolonged exposure to sunlight
- diabetes
- tobacco use
- drinking alcohol
Vision can be restored by surgically removing the affected lens, and replacing it with an artificial one.