Eye Health - Cataracts



Some children develop cataracts, called congenital cataracts, before or just after birth; these are usually dealt with in a different way to cataracts in adults.

Cataract derives from the Latin cataracta meaning "waterfall" and that from the Greek (kataraktes) or (katarrhaktes), "down-rushing", from (katarasso) meaning "to dash down" (from kata-, "down"; arassein, "to strike, dash"). As rapidly running water turns white, the term may later have been used metaphorically to describe the similar appearance of mature ocular opacities. In Latin, cataracta had the alternate meaning "portcullis" and it is possible that the name passed through French to form the English meaning "eye disease" (early 15c.), on the notion of "obstruction". Early Persian physicians called the term nazul-i-ah, or "descent of the water" - vulgarised into waterfall disease or cataract - believing such blindness to be caused by an outpouring of corrupt humour into the eye.