US Medical Term · conditions
Cataracts
Cataratas
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Cataracts |
| Spanish (Español) | Cataratas |
| Chinese (中文) | 白內障 |
| Korean (한국어) | 백내장 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Đục thủy tinh thể |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Katarata |
| Portuguese (Português) | Catarata |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | ต้อกระจก |
| Japanese (日本語) | 白内障 |
What it means
A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and pupil. Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in people over 40 and the most common cause of blindness worldwide. Symptoms include blurry or hazy vision, difficulty seeing at night, sensitivity to light, and faded colors. Aging is the most common cause, but cataracts can also result from diabetes, steroid use, or eye injury. Cataract surgery, which replaces the cloudy lens with an artificial one, is one of the safest and most effective surgeries performed.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
My vision has been getting blurry and my eye doctor says I have cataracts.
Mi visión se ha vuelto borrosa y mi oftalmólogo dice que tengo cataratas.
At what point should cataracts be treated with surgery?
¿En qué momento se deben tratar las cataratas con cirugía?
Will cataract surgery completely restore my vision?
¿La cirugía de cataratas me restaurará completamente la visión?
Where you'll see it
Related ICD-10-CM category
H26 Other cataractRelated terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026