National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Cataract is the National Eye Institute
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Cataract
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in your eye. It affects your vision. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.
A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other. Common symptoms are
- Blurry vision
- Colors that seem faded
- Glare - headlights, lamps or sunlight may seem too bright. You may also see a halo around lights.
- Not being able to see well at night
- Double vision
- Frequent prescription changes in your eye wear
Cataracts usually develop slowly. New glasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses or magnifying lenses can help at first. Surgery is also an option. It involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. Wearing sunglasses and a hat with a brim to block ultraviolet sunlight may help to delay cataracts.
NIH: National Eye Institute
-
Start Here
-
Cataracts
(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Facts about Cataract(National Eye Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Cataracts
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
-
Overviews
-
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Cataracts: Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor(Harvard Medical School)
-
Treatment
- Cataract Surgery(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Cataract Surgery(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Cataract surgery - slideshow
- Also available in Spanish
-
Prevention/Screening
- Eye Exam(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Return to top
-
Related Issues
- Facts and Myths about Cataracts(Prevent Blindness America) - PDF
- IOL Implants: Lens Replacement and Cataract Surgery (Intraocular Lenses)(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Lutein and Zeaxanthin(American Optometric Association)
-
Talking to Your Doctor(National Eye Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Pictures & Photographs
- Cataract Vision Simulator(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Cataracts(Logical Images)
- Return to top
-
Tutorials
-
Cataract
(National Eye Institute)
- Cataracts(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Cataract
-
Videos
- Cataract - Encyclopedia
- Also available in Spanish
-
Cataract Surgery(National Eye Institute)
- If I Had - A Cataract at Age 70 and Had Blurred Vision(Insidermedicine)
- If I Had - Blurry Vision That Could Be a Cataract(Insidermedicine)
- Return to top
-
Anatomy/Physiology
-
Diagram of the Eye(National Eye Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Diagram of the Eye
-
Financial Issues
-
Financial Aid for Eye Care(National Eye Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Financial Aid for Eye Care
-
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Cataract(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Lenses, Intraocular(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Cataract
-
Genetics
-
Genetics Home Reference: Hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
- Return to top
-
Genetics Home Reference: Hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome
-
Research
- Antioxidants and Age-Related Eye Disease(American Optometric Association)
- Research Shows Cataract Surgery Can Reduce Hip Fracture Risk(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Return to top
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
-
Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Glossary of Eye Conditions(American Foundation for the Blind)
- Glossary of Eye-Related Terms(Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Return to top
-
Directories
-
Eye Health Organizations Database(National Eye Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Find an Eye M.D.(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Find Services (for People with Vision Loss)(American Foundation for the Blind)
-
Finding an Eye Care Professional(National Eye Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Eye Health Organizations Database
-
Organizations
-
Statistics
-
Cataract(National Eye Institute)
- Return to top
-
Cataract
-
MedlinePlus Magazine
-
Children
- Cataracts(Nemours Foundation)
- Return to top
-
Seniors
- Cataracts(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
- Return to top
-
Patient Handouts
- Cataract
- Also available in Spanish
- Cataract removal
- Also available in Spanish
- Slit-lamp exam
- Also available in Spanish
- Standard ophthalmic exam
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
- Arabic (العربية)
- Chinese - Simplified (简体中文)
- Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文)
- French (français)
- Hindi (हिन्दी)
- Japanese (日本語)
- Korean (한국어)
- Portuguese (português)
- Russian (Русский)
- Somali (af Soomaali)
- Spanish (español)
- Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
Cataract - Multiple Languages
