The opacity of the lens, which is the central area of the eye, may be easily visible in a well developed cataract. The commonest cause is old age with the development of cataracts on both eyes. Other causes can be congenital due to disease in the mother, or the result of eye injuries. Radiation and strong doses of drugs such as cortisone can produce cataracts. They can occur occasionally with systematic diseases such as diabetes and hypothyroidism and also in the case of severe malnutrition.

The only effective treatment is surgery particularly in the case of senile cataracts. It’s a very successful operation, with restoration of vision in the majority of cases. Unfortunately it is necessary to wait until the cataracts have developed to the stage of being ripe for removal before modern surgical techniques can be used.

If the whole lens is removed strong glasses will be needed to correct the vision. Whilst contact lenses are more suitable after cataract surgery than the thick glasses which can distort the environment, a newer technique of implanting an artificial plastic lens inside the eye has recently been developed which gives very good results.