A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens, which causes interference with sight. The majority of catacacts are caused by aging, which triggers chemical changes in the eye's natural lens. The age at which this occurs varies greatly, with some people being affected in their fifties, some in their late eighties. Cataracts can also be caused by metabolic changes, injury, radiation or toxic chemicals.

The word "Cataract" comes for the Greek for waterfall. Until the mid 1700s cataracts were believed to be caused by the flow of opaque materials into the eye.

A clouding of the cornea, most common in older people, but not unheard of in people under the age of fifty. It is usually caused by a buildup of proteins in the cornea that occurs in aging, but trauma to the cornea (such as a blunt hit by a ball) can cause cataracts in younger patients

The surgery most often used to remove a cataract is phacoemulsification, a type of microsurgery in which an incision is made and a device is used to suction the inside of the cataract. Recently topical anesthesia (using lidocaine gel) in addition to a benzodiazepene (like Valium or Versed) has been used to numb the eye, although sometimes a block (more potent anesthesia using a syringe) is required. After the surgery, an intraocular lens implant(IOL)is sutured (stitched with a microscopically fine thread) over the the eye, and the benign shell of the caract is left to speed recovery.

In some cases, after a phacoemulsification surgery, residual proteins from the cataract will build up and a follow-up surgery will be required. Most frequently, no scalpel is required the second time, and the buildup can be adequately eliminated with a low-intensity YAG laser.

It is interesting to see the effect Cataract had on the work of the great French Impressionist, Claude Monet.

From 1912 Monet began to develop Cataract in his left eye. As the cataract evolved and his sight deteriorated, it began affecting his work as well.

The effects of the Cataract are clearly seen in his work from the time. Monet painted many paintings of his garden in Giverny, a small town in France. The left hand side of the Giverny paintings, dated after 1912, is characterized with shades of blue, a common effect of the Cataract. While the right hand side of those paintings (i.e the healthy eye) remain loyal the true colours of the garden.

In 1923 Monet had a surgery to remove the Cataract from his left eye. The sudden change in his paintings is amazing. Both sides of the paintings match the colours of the garden.
When Monet noticed the difference between his post-surgery paintings and his pre-surgery paintings, he destroyed many of the latter in rage.

Although there are many diseases and inherited disorders that can lead to congenital cataracts, the actual incidence of congenital cataracts is low. Sometimes these things just happen. The odds of it happening are slim, and the odds are extremely slim that two siblings will develop cataracts, especially congenitally.

This is a partial list of possible causes of congenital cataracts:
galactosemia (the inability to break down galactose sugar)
Lowe syndrome
congenital rubella syndrome
Sieman's syndrome
Down syndrome
Pierre-Robin syndrome
hereditary congenital cataracts
Hallerman-Streiff syndrome
cerebrohepatorenal syndrome
Trisomy 13
Conradi syndrome
Ectodermal dysplasia
Marinesco-Sjogren syndrome
Note: Sometimes, no cause can be identified.
In many of these causes, cataracts are only one of the complications of the disease.

Symptoms are opacity of the lens, often evident at birth without special viewing equipment and appearing as a whitish discoloration in an otherwise normally dark pupil

Signs And Tests:
slit lamp examination by an ophthalmologist
standard eye exam
ultrasonography of the eye

The treatment involves surgical cataract removal followed by placement of an intraocular lens (IOL).

-Adapted from information taken from WebMD

Cat"a*ract (?), n. [L. cataracta, catarracles, a waterfall, Gr. , , fr. to break down; in the passive, to fall or rush down (of tumors) to burst; down + to break.]

1.

A great fall of water over a precipice; a large waterfall.

2. Surg.

An opacity of the crystalline lens, or of its capsule, which prevents the passage of the rays of light and impairs or destroys the sight.

3. Mach.

A kind of hydraulic brake for regulating the action of pumping engines and other machines; -- sometimes called dashpot.

© Webster 1913.