Cataracts - How common is it?

Cataracts are common, especially in older people.

Research in Australia found that:[2]

About a fifth of people between 65 and 74 had cataracts
About two-thirds of people over 85 had cataracts.

In the UK, about a third of people over 65 have cataracts in one or both eyes.[1] And about 300,000 people in the UK have surgery to take out their cataracts each year.[3] It is one of the most common operations done in the NHS.

If your background is South Asian or Indian, you have higher chances of getting cataracts.[4] And you might get cataracts at a younger age too.

In countries with good health care, such as the UK, cataracts are usually cured by surgery. But around the world, cataracts are the main cause of blindness. World wide, about 4 in 10 people who can't see are blind because of cataracts. The condition causes blindness in more than 15 million people.[5]

Blindness from cataracts happens mainly in countries with limited health care, such as those in Asia and Africa. Most of the people in those countries would not go blind if they had access to surgery.[6] In the UK and US, less than 4 in 100 people who can't see are blind because of cataracts.

References

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists. Cataract surgery guidelines. 2004. Available at http://www.rcophth.ac.uk/about/publications (accessed on 13 June 2007).
Mitchell P, Cumming RG, Attebo K, et al. Prevalence of cataract in Australia: the Blue Mountains eye study. Ophthalmology. 1997; 104: 581-588.
Hospital Episode Statistics. Main operations. March 2007. Available at http://www.hesonline.nhs.uk (accessed on 3 September 2007).
Congdon NG. Prevention strategies for age related cataract: present limitations and future possibilities. British Journal of Ophthalmology. 2001; 85: 5.
Thylefors B, Negrel AD, Pararajasegaram R, et al. Global data on blindness. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 1995; 73: 115-121.
Javitt JC, Wang F, West SK. Blindness due to cataract: Epidemiology and prevention. Annual Review of Public Health. 1996; 17: 159-177.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.