Quick answer
What is cataracts?
A cataract is when the clear lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, making your vision blurry, misty or dim. Cataracts are very common, especially as you get older, and they usually develop slowly over years. They cannot be treated with drops or glasses, but a short and very effective operation to replace the cloudy lens can restore clear sight.
What is a cataract?
The lens sits behind the coloured part of your eye and focuses light to give a clear picture. A cataract is when this lens becomes cloudy, so less light reaches the back of the eye and your vision becomes blurred or dim. Most cataracts are part of getting older and develop slowly in one or both eyes.
Symptoms
Cataracts can cause:
- blurry, misty or cloudy vision
- colours looking faded or yellowed
- glare or haloes around bright lights, especially at night
- needing brighter light to read, and frequent changes to your glasses
What causes cataracts
Most cataracts are age-related. They can develop sooner if you smoke, have diabetes, take steroid medicines for a long time, or have had an eye injury. Occasionally babies are born with cataracts or develop them in childhood.
Treatment
There is no medicine that clears a cataract. When it starts to affect your daily life, the treatment is cataract surgery — a short, very common operation that replaces the cloudy lens with a clear artificial one. Many people are surprised how quick and straightforward it is.
When to seek help
See an optician if your sight is gradually becoming cloudy or dim. Get urgent, same-day advice for any sudden loss of vision, eye pain, or new flashing lights and floaters, as these suggest a different and more serious problem than a cataract.
Common questions
- Are cataracts serious?
- Cataracts are not dangerous to the rest of your body, but left untreated they can gradually reduce your sight. The good news is that cataract surgery is very effective and can restore clear vision.
- Can cataracts be treated without surgery?
- No. Glasses or brighter lighting may help a little in the early stages, but there is no medicine or eye drop that clears a cataract. Surgery to replace the lens is the only effective treatment.
- Do cataracts grow back after surgery?
- A cataract cannot return because the lens is removed. Some people later develop cloudiness behind the new lens, which causes similar symptoms and is easily treated with a quick, painless laser procedure.
- At what age do cataracts start?
- Cataracts are most common from the age of around 60 onwards, but they can develop earlier, and babies can occasionally be born with them. Smoking, diabetes and some medicines can make them more likely.