April 27, 2015 | When is a cataract a cataract? The medical definition of cataract is any opacity in the lens of the eye... but as an Optometrist looking in folks' eyes all day long... I would rarely use this definition. I would have to tell almost every patient over fifty that that they have cataracts and that is not popular! So, I (and I suspect most eye docs) tend to use a much more functional definition. When visual ability is reduced due to opacity of the natural lens (i.e. not correctable through glasses/contacts)... then you have cataract. There can be significant lens changes that cause no problems or only some glare without loss so I reserve the word cataract for when there is vision loss. Cataracts progress at different rates and can occur concurrently with other eye conditions. When to proceed with cataract surgery is the topic of the next post. dr.j
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