Cataracts are cloudy areas in the lens inside the eye - which is normally clear. According to Med lexicon’s medical dictionary, cataract is "Complete or partial opacity of the ocular lens." Cataracts can develop in one or both eyes. If they develop in both eyes, one will be more severely affected than the other. A normally clear lens allows light to pass through to the back of the eye, so that the patient can see well-defined images. If a part of the lens becomes opaque light does not pass through easily and the patient's vision becomes blurry - like looking through cloudy water or a fogged-up window.

Types of cataracts include:
Age-related cataracts. As the name suggests, this type of cataract develops as a result of aging.
Congenital cataracts. Babies are sometimes born with cataracts as a result of an infection, injury, or poor development before they were born, or they may develop during childhood.
Secondary cataracts. These develop as a result of other medical conditions, like diabetes, or exposure to toxic substances, certain drugs (such as corticosteroids or diuretics), ultraviolet light, or radiation.
Traumatic cataracts. These form after injury to the eye.
What Are the Symptoms of Cataracts?
Cataracts usually form slowly and cause few symptoms until they noticeably block light. When symptoms are present, they can include:
Vision that is cloudy, blurry, foggy, or filmy
Progressive nearsightedness in older people often called "second sight" because they may no longer need reading glasses.
Changes in the way you see color because the discolored lens acts as a filter.
Problems driving at night such as glare from oncoming headlights.
Problems with glare during the day.
Double vision (like a superimposed image).
Sudden changes in glasses prescription.


Treatment for cataract
Surgery is the only known effective treatment for cataract removal. All cataract surgeries are aimed at removal of the cloudy natural lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. There are various types of cataract surgeries are available.
•Phacoemulsification Surgery (PHACO).
•Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS).
•Extracapsular Cataract Extraction (ECCE).
•Intracapsular Cataract Extraction (ICCE).