[Aspects of physiology, pathology and epidemiology of cataract]

World Health Organization estimates that 23 million people have a visual acuity of 0.05 or less. For 12-15 million people cataract is the cause of poor visual acuity or blindness and the majority of those afflicted live in Third World countries. It is estimated that in the year 2025 around 40 million people will become blind due to cataract. The therapeutic procedure of choice is surgical removal of the lens. The high success rate of this procedure in highly industrialized countries has been achieved by the constant improvement in technology and operative technique. This, however, does not hold true for Third World countries. The etiology and pathogenesis of cataract are not yet completely understood. This paper reports on the clinical findings and epidemiology of cataract and deals with the physiology and pathology of the lens. The aim of the study was to recognize possible cataractogenic risk factors. A decrease in the blindness rate caused by cataract in Third World countries can best be achieved through prevention.