Most cataract cases are found to be related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. The lens of the eye is normally clear, however, cataracts may also be present at or shortly after birth. These are referred to as congenital cataracts.

Severe cataracts can cause so many disabling effects in the patient’s life. Common cataract problems result to loss of independence for older adults as decreased vision may affect driving, working, reading, or just about anything they do everyday.

When left without treatment, some of the cataracts cases can cause blindness, but this is believed to be rare. Surgery is usually recommended and done to patients before a cataract progresses far enough to cause blindness. An opthalmic microscope is employed in such surgical process.  There is also a rare type of cataract that can also progress into another eye problem called glaucoma.

Cataracts in children are rare in occurrence but are found to be very serious. If a cataract prevents light from entering a child’s eye and stimulating the retina, the area of the child’s brain that is used for sight will not develop properly. Usually, the child will not be able to see well with that eye even if the cataract is later removed. This condition is termed amblyopia and the removal of such would entail the use of an opthalmic microscope.

Congenital cataracts may be inherited by origin. The gene for such cataracts is dominant or sometimes called autosomal dominant. This means that the defective gene will cause the condition even if only one parent passes it along. In cases such as this, there is 50 percent chance in every pregnancy that the trait will be passed on to the children.

Congenital cataracts can likewise be caused by infections that affected the mother during pregnancy. One type of infection, for example, that can cause cataract is rubella. Cataracts are also associated with metabolic disorders.  Galactosemia is one metaboluc disorder linked with cataract.

Adult cataracts, on the on the other hand, usually develop with advancing age. They may run in families as observed.  They develop slowly and painlessly. The vision in the affected eye or eyes slowly gets worse in the case of adult cataracts.

A person with cataract only sees vague images, in unclear and hazy shapes and gradations in light and in dark. Cataracts affect the vision of a person in various ways. The cataract may be in different locations in the lens of the eye. Thus, affecting the vision in a different way from one person to another. The location of the cataract, be it at the center or near the lens periphery, have a big difference. If the location of the cataract draws near or is at the pupil of the eye, vision will be more greatly impaired than when it is just on the sides.  The more to the side of the lens would the cataract be, the lesser symptoms will be experienced by the cataract patient.

The lens in our eyes is a clear part that helps to focus light or image on the retina. The retina part of the eye is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. In a normal eye without any cataract, light passes through the transparent lens to the retina. Once it reaches the retina, light is changed into nerve signals that are sent to the brain for interpretation. The lens of our eyes must be clear for the retina to receive a sharp image of what we see. If the lens is cloudy from a cataract, the image you see will be blurred. People who have cataract complain that it feels like they are looking through a foggy window at all times.  As such, it is recommended that these patients would undergo surgery to remove the cataract with an opthalmic microscope.