👁️ OphthalmologyEyeStudentInternResident

Cataract

Also known as: lens opacity · clouding of the lens

Clouding of the lens causing gradual, painless blurring of vision, glare and faded colours — the leading cause of reversible blindness worldwide, and cured by surgery.

Source · Reviewed 2026-08-15 · v1.0— AI-assisted draft — verify against the cited guideline before clinical use.

⚕️ Education only — not medical advice. Verify against the latest official guideline and your local protocol; confirm every drug dose against the cited source before clinical use.

Who gets it

Mainly age-related; also diabetes, corticosteroids, trauma, uveitis, congenital/metabolic causes, and UV exposure/smoking.

Red flags — escalate / refer

A child with a white pupil (leukocoria — congenital cataract or, importantly, retinoblastoma) → urgent ophthalmology; a SUDDEN vision change is NOT a cataract — seek another cause.

Work-up / diagnosis

1Assess visual acuity and the impact on daily life.
2Examine the lens (a cataract with a reduced red reflex) and exclude other causes of reduced vision (macula, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy); check for causes (glucose, steroids).

Management — overview

Early — optimise glasses and lighting and treat contributing factors.
Definitive treatment is day-case cataract surgery (phacoemulsification with an intraocular lens implant) when vision affects daily life — highly effective.
A congenital cataract needs early surgery to prevent amblyopia; manage diabetes and other causes.

In-depthFull dosing & advanced protocol

Drug dosing

Cataract surgery (definitive)

Vision affecting daily life

Adult dose: Phacoemulsification + intraocular lens (day case)
Route: Surgical

ICMRStandard Treatment Workflows (STWs), India — Dept. of Health Research & ICMR (2022+) ↗

Surgery is curative and cost-effective

Cataract surgery is among the most cost-effective operations.
A child's white reflex is an emergency — exclude retinoblastoma.
Rule out coexisting eye disease that would limit the visual gain from surgery.

ICMRStandard Treatment Workflows (STWs), India — Dept. of Health Research & ICMR (2022+) ↗

References

Guidelines change. If something here is out of date, tell us — we keep these current.

🚩 Report outdated / suggest update

More protocols

Acute Red EyeA common presentation ranging from benign conjunctivitis to sight-threatening emergencies. The key skill is spotting the dangerous red eye.Acute Angle-Closure GlaucomaA sudden rise in intraocular pressure from blockage of aqueous drainage — a painful red eye with blurred vision, haloes around lights, headache and nausea/vomiting, with a fixed mid-dilated pupil. A sight-threatening emergency.ConjunctivitisInflammation of the conjunctiva — a red eye with discharge, usually NON-painful and with normal vision. Causes are viral (commonest), bacterial and allergic; the key skill is excluding the sight-threatening causes of a red eye.

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👤 Who gets it

🚩 Red flags — escalate / refer

🔎 Work-up / diagnosis

🧭 Management — overview

💊 Drug dosing

Cataract surgery (definitive)

📈 Surgery is curative and cost-effective

📚 References

More protocols

👤 Who gets it

🚩 Red flags — escalate / refer

🔎 Work-up / diagnosis

🧭 Management — overview

💊 Drug dosing

Cataract surgery (definitive)

📈 Surgery is curative and cost-effective

📚 References

More protocols

Who gets it

Red flags — escalate / refer

Work-up / diagnosis

Management — overview

Drug dosing

Surgery is curative and cost-effective

References

Who gets it

Red flags — escalate / refer

Work-up / diagnosis

Management — overview

Drug dosing

Surgery is curative and cost-effective

References