What Are Cataracts?
3. Senile Cataract
Senile cataract is the world’s leading cause of treatable blindness. Impairment of vision occurs due to gradual and progressive thickening of the lens. The mechanism behind the development of senile cataracts is complex. It is believed to be multifactorial and involves systemic, nutritional, genetic, and environmental factors. With age, the thickness and the weight of the lens increases resulting in a decrease in accommodation (the ability to change focus on near and distant objects).
Senile cataract can be staged clinically based on the appearance of the lens using a slit lamp. It can be classified into hypermature cataract, mature cataract, immature cataract, and incipient cataract. The rate of senile cataract rapidly increases with age.
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