Cataract Health Dictionary

Gradual loss of sight following chemical disturbance in the lens protein of the eye resulting in degeneration and loss of transparency. Greyish white pupil which in normality is jet black. Occurs chiefly in the elderly due to injury of the lens capsule, glaucoma, the use of microwave or diet-mineral deficiency (calcium). In the ageing process there is a lack of antioxidant protection of the lens usually due to low Vitamin C, the major antioxidant in lens physiology. May also be congenital.

High blood glucose levels, diabetes, drugs, steroids, Down’s syndrome, kidney failure, uraemia and chronic diarrhoea predispose. There is no pain. Vision is as if looking through a frosted glass.

Treatment. Restore lens metabolism.

“My father-in-law knew people who had been cured by steeping Wild Burdock burrs and taking a small drink 3-4 times a day” (John Tobe, in “Cataract, Glaucoma and other Eye Disorders”) Cider Vinegar. 2 teaspoons to glass water, sips once or twice daily.

Chinese medicine. Hachimi jiogan to increase glutathione content of the lens.

Topical. Greater Celandine. 5-10 drops fresh juice of plant to 4oz distilled extract Witch Hazel. 10-20 drops in an eyebath half filled with warm water; use as a douche.

Cineraria maritima (Dusty Miller). 2-3 drops fresh plant juice applied to the eye with a medicine dropper. Same refers to Yucca and Chaparral. For early non-diabetic cataract.

Diet. Lacto-vegetarian. Carrot juice. Brewer’s Yeast, yellow-green vegetables. Spinach as an item of diet appears to reduce risk of cataract.

Supplementation. Vitamin C slows down the ageing process of the lens, protecting it from damage by free radicals: 1500mg daily. Vitamin B2. Vitamin E, 400iu daily. Selenium, 200mcg daily. Amino acids: cysteine, methionine, glutathione.

General. Surgical treatment is invariably successful. Cold packs and manipulation of the neck improve circulation and drainage of the head. 

Loss of transparency of the crystalline lens of the eye, due to changes in its delicate protein fibres. At an advanced stage, the front part of the lens becomes densely opaque, but the cataract never causes total blindness.

Almost everyone over 65 has some degree of cataract. Regular exposure to ultraviolet light increases the risk. Other causes include injury to the eye, particularly if a foreign body enters the lens. Cataract is common in people who have diabetes mellitus. Long-term use of corticosteroid drugs may contribute to cataract development. Congenital cataract may be due to an infection of the mother in early pregnancy, especially with rubella, to the toxic effects of certain drugs in pregnancy, or be associated with Down’s syndrome or galactosaemia.

Onset of symptoms is almost imperceptible, although night driving may be affected early on.

There is slow, progressive loss of visual acuity.

The person may become shortsighted and notice disturbances in colour perception.

When vision has become seriously impaired, cataract surgery is performed to remove the lens.

Opacity in the crystalline lens of the eye which may be partial or complete

An opacity of the lens su?cient to cause visual impairment (see EYE, DISORDERS OF).

n. an opacity in the lens of the eye that may result in blurred vision. Minor degrees of cataract do not necessarily impair vision seriously. Cataracts may be congenital or acquired. The latter are most commonly a result of age (senile cataract); metabolic disease (such as diabetes), injury to the eye, or exposure of the eye to infrared rays (e.g. glass-blowers’ cataract) or ionizing radiation can also cause a cataract. A type commonly related to ageing is nuclear sclerotic cataract, which results from increasing density and yellowing of the centre of the lens. A posterior subcapsular cataract (at the rear surface of the lens within the lens capsule) is also related to ageing but may occur with prolonged use of steroids and chronic ocular inflammation. Brunescent cataracts are dark brown and very dense, and a cortical cataract is one in which the opacity occurs in the soft outer part (cortex) of the lens. A Morgagnian cataract is a longstanding very opaque cataract in which the cortex has started to shrink and liquefy, leaving a central shrunken nucleus.

Cataract is treated by removal of the affected lens (see cataract extraction; phacoemulsification); patients may wear appropriate spectacles or a contact lens to compensate for the missing lens but in modern practice a synthetic intraocular lens implant is routinely placed inside the eye as a part of the surgical procedure.