A four month old girl with cloudy white discs in each eye awaits treatment for her bilateral cataracts. Photo: CBM
Cataract
Cataract is the single largest cause of blindness in the world. It is responsible for blinding half of the world’s blind population - a staggering 18 million people.
What Causes a Cataract?
Little is known about the causes of cataract. Here in the UK they appear more frequently in older people than in the young, although some children are affected through congenital (from birth) cataract. In the developing world, cataract is common in both adults and children.
The disease is often linked to eye injury or diseases such as glaucoma and diabetes. In cases of old age or injury, fluid causes the lens fibres to swell and form a lump. Much like the white of an egg, the clear lens becomes an opaque white.
The Cure
In spite of what we don’t know about the causes, curing cataract is simple.
Through our partner projects, CBM funded surgeons place low cost intraocular lens (IOL) implants right inside the eye during a 15 minute operation. The IOL means that the patient no longer has to worry about the cost of maintaining and replacing glasses, and best of all, they will never become cataract blind again.
A cataract operation costs just £20 for an adult and £90 for a child through CBM's parter projects. For many in the developing world who struggle for food and basic needs, this price is still too far from reach.
Further Reading
- Cataract - information about the disease from the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Vision 2020 - Right To Sight - a global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness.