Cataracts are one of the leading causes of vision loss in the United States. Cataracts are very common in older adults. They are slightly more common in women than men.1
In the United States, cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgery in adults who are older than 65.
Cataracts are more common in people who live in sunny areas and less common in children than in older adults.
Some babies (about 1 in 5,000) are born with cataracts (congenital cataracts) or develop them shortly after birth.2 It is very important to treat congenital cataracts that are causing significant vision problems before the child is 3 months old to prevent permanent vision loss or blindness.
References
Citations
Chitkara DK, et al. (2004). Pathophysiology and epidemiology of cataract. In M Yanoff et al., eds., Ophthalmology, 2nd ed., pp. 269–272. St. Louis: Mosby.
Madan A, Good WV (2005). Disorders of the eye. In HW Taeusch et al., eds., Avery's Diseases of the Newborn, 8th ed., pp. 1539–1555. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders.
Credits
| Author | Jeannette Curtis |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Christopher J. Rudnisky, MD, FRCSC - Ophthalmology |
| Last Updated | October 1, 2007 |
