Cataract: Symptoms, Causes, Types

Cataract refers to the clouding of the normally transparent lens of the eye, leading to gradual vision loss. As we age, the development of this inevitable condition is usually a slow, painless process that often does not cause symptoms until years later. The term cataract comes from the Greek word for waterfall, as patients used to describe their vision as if looking through a curtain of water. Treatment is only possible through surgery, during which the lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens. Thanks to continuous advances in surgical techniques and intraocular lenses, the procedure is quick and painless, recovery time is short, and after surgery you may see clearly even without glasses.

What Is a Cataract?

Cataract refers to the clouding of the eye’s lens, which allows less light to enter the eye, causing the retina to perceive a lower-quality image. Due to the clouded lens, vision becomes blurred and hazy, colors appear faded, and over time significant vision loss develops.

In advanced cases, cataract is visible to the naked eye, when the transparency of the lens decreases to such an extent that the normally black pupil appears white.

The development of cataract is a complex process in which the following changes play a crucial role:

• compaction and hardening (sclerosis) of the lens material,
• changes in the lens’s ion balance and pigmentation,
• transformation of the lens proteins, leading to loss of transparency.

In untreated cataract, the lens gradually clouds to such an extent that blindness develops, which for a certain period is still reversible. In neglected cases, severe swelling of the lens leads to eye inflammation and secondary glaucoma, which is accompanied by severe pain and may require emergency surgery. In such cases, the rate of surgical complications is higher and permanent vision impairment is more common.

What Types of Cataract Exist?

Clouding of the lens can develop in several ways, so we distinguish three main types of cataract (images):

• nuclear cataract (uniform clouding of the lens),
• cortical cataract (spoke-shaped clouding of the cortical parts of the lens),
• posterior subcapsular cataract (granular clouding of the posterior surface of the lens).

The form of the lesion greatly influences the resulting symptoms. The nuclear type usually causes symptoms more slowly and later for the patient. However, during removal of such advanced (“hypermature”) cataracts, the risk of complications is somewhat elevated.

What Causes Cataract?

The condition most commonly develops as part of the aging process of the lens and is usually observed after the age of 45, although at this stage it does not yet cause any symptoms. In youth, the lens is transparent and flexible, allowing it to change its shape and thus the eye’s refractive power. With advancing age, however, the lens gradually loses these properties. In addition, numerous causes of the disease are known, and several risk factors increase the likelihood or speed of its development.

The condition often develops to a similar extent in both eyes, but it is not unusual for one eye to have advanced cataract while the other shows only early clouding. The rate of disease progression is difficult to determine; it can reach a stage requiring surgery anywhere from a few months to several decades.

What Are the Symptoms of Cataract?

The main symptom characteristic of the condition is painless vision loss. However, different types cause different symptoms, so the visual symptoms associated with the disease are also varied.

In age-related cataract, symptoms usually develop gradually and change only slowly. In cases arising after eye disease, eye surgery, or as a medication side effect, the rate of progression is generally faster, while in cases of injury, vision loss is usually immediate.

Interestingly, in the early stages of the disease, farsighted individuals may experience improvement in their eyeglass prescription, because the hardening of the lens often imparts a minus refractive power to the eye, resulting in a reduction of existing plus diopters. Similarly, someone who only has reading glasses may notice that they can now read without glasses, but distance vision will no longer be sharp. You can find further interesting facts about the condition on the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) website; you can read about symptoms and several other cataract-related topics in our knowledge base.

Can Cataract Development Be Prevented?

According to the current state of science, the development of cataract cannot be prevented; however, the progression of an already developed condition can be somewhat slowed in the following ways:

• light protection (wearing a hat and sunglasses to reduce UV exposure),
• reducing risk factors (quitting smoking, managing comorbidities).

Adequate antioxidant status in the body may also help slow the process, which can be achieved through a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits. However, it is a misconception that vitamin C or other antioxidant supplements prevent the development of cataract.

How Is Cataract Treated?

The only effective treatment for the condition is cataract surgery, during which the clouded lens is removed and replaced with a modern, lifelong intraocular lens. The procedure itself is quick and completely painless, and the recovery time is extremely short, so hospitalization is not required. Although full visual improvement takes a few days, most patients experience dramatic improvement on the first day.

Continuously evolving surgical technologies and modern intraocular lenses provide increasingly precise results and outstanding safety while minimizing the risk of complications.

The traditional ultrasound-based surgery is a reliable and cost-effective procedure. However, certain stages of the surgery—such as the precise opening of the lens capsule, which is twenty times thinner than a hair, and the fragmentation of the hardened lens—require a high degree of surgical precision. To automate these critical steps and further enhance safety, the femtosecond laser technique was developed. Although currently available in only a few locations in Hungary, the femtosecond laser procedure represents a technological breakthrough whose precision and reliability stand out compared to traditional techniques.

The type of intraocular lens chosen fundamentally determines quality of life after surgery:

• Monofocal intraocular lens: This type is available with state funding, with which sharp vision can be restored at one distance (usually distance), but glasses will still be needed for intermediate distances and reading.
• Premium intraocular lenses: Our range includes, in addition to basic lenses, extended depth of focus (EDOF) and new-generation multifocal lenses, as well as their toric (astigmatism-correcting) variants. These modern intraocular lenses allow the patient to see clearly at multiple distances after surgery, potentially eliminating the need for glasses entirely.

Although premium solutions come at a somewhat higher cost, the freedom from glasses and improved quality of life they provide represent a long-term investment that pays off quickly for most patients.

ℹ️ You can read more about the treatment on the cataract surgery page, and on our comparison page you can easily learn about the advantages and prices of different surgical techniques and intraocular lenses.