Cataracts Aren’t Just an “Old Person’s Problem”

Written By: Zena Maziak

My Story and what happened when my eyesight changed far too soon, and the essential facts everyone should know.

When most people hear the word cataracts, they picture someone in their 70s or 80s. I used to think the same, but at just 15 years old, I was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes after noticing trouble with my vision. A year later, at 16, I underwent cataract removal surgery in my right eye.

I’m sharing this to raise awareness: cataracts can affect young people too.

Let’s break down what cataracts are, how they develop, who is at risk, and what to watch out for, and then I’ll talk about something many people don’t know about: secondary cataracts, also called Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO), which I was recently diagnosed with in my operated eye.

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens; the lens sits behind the iris (The coloured part of your eye) and focuses light onto the retina so you can see clearly. When the lens becomes cloudy, light can’t pass through properly; vision becomes blurred, hazy, or dim, almost like looking through a foggy window.

Cataracts are extremely common and are one of the leading causes of vision impairment worldwide.

How Do Cataracts Develop?

The lens of the eye is made mostly of water and proteins, as we age, or under certain conditions, these proteins can begin to break down and clump together. This clumping creates a cloudy area in the lens.

Cataracts can develop:

Slowly over many years
Rapidly, in some cases (especially in younger individuals)
In one or both eyes

Types of Cataracts:

Nuclear Cataracts: form in the centre of the lens
Cortical Cataracts: start at the edges and move inward
Posterior Subcapsular Cataracts: form at the back of the lens and often affect vision more quickly

There are also fewer common types of cataracts that can affect younger people, including:

Snowflake Cataract. Image Credit Zena Maziak. Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved.

My Actual Snowflake Cataract

Snowflake Cataracts: a distinct type of cataracts often associated with diabetes and typically seen in younger individuals, they appear as white snowflake-like opacities in the lens and can progress quickly.

In my case, I was diagnosed with a snowflake cataract, something most people don’t even realise can happen to teenagers.

Signs and Symptoms of Cataracts

Common symptoms include:

Blurry or cloudy vision
A hazy or foggy view
Increased sensitivity to light
Halos around lights
Difficulty seeing at night
Faded or yellowed colours
Frequent changes in glasses prescription

For me, the changes were subtle at first; my vision just didn’t feel right, but over the coming months, my vision rapidly declined, and the cloudiness became more noticeable.

Who is Most at Risk?

Higher risk groups include:

Adults over 60
People with diabetes
Those with a family history of cataracts
People who have had eye injuries
Long-term steroid users
Smokers
People with high UV exposure
Children and teenagers (congenital or developmental cataracts)

Yes – teenagers.

Being 15 and being told I had cataracts in both eyes felt surreal; I didn’t fit the stereotype, but cataracts don’t follow stereotypes.

What is a Secondary Cataract?

Here’s something many people don’t know: cataracts can’t technically “grow back” once removed. However, you can develop something called a secondary cataract, medically known as:

Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO)

This is not a new cataract; it’s a clouding of the membrane (capsule) that holds the artificial lens in place after surgery.

How do secondary cataracts develop?

During cataract surgery, the cloudy natural lens is removed, but the thin capsule that surrounds it is left in place to support the artificial lens implant.

Over time, leftover lens cells can grow and multiply on the back of that capsule. This causes it to become cloudy, similar to how the original cataract affected vision.

This cloudiness can develop:

Weeks after surgery
Months later
Or even years later

In my case, it developed exactly 10 years after my original surgery.

Who is Most at Risk for Secondary Cataracts?

PCO is actually quite common; studies suggest that a significant percentage of people who undergo cataract surgery will develop some degree of Posterior Capsule Opacification.

Risk factors include:

Younger age at the time of cataract surgery (ironically, being young increases risk)
Certain surgical techniques
Inflammation after surgery
Pre-existing eye conditions

Because I had cataract surgery at 16, my age alone placed me at a higher risk later on.

Treatment for Secondary Cataracts

The good news? Treatment is straightforward and highly effective.

The procedure is called:

YAG Laser Capsulotomy

This is a quick, painless laser procedure that:

Takes only a few minutes
Is done in a clinic setting
Requires no surgical incision
Uses a laser to create a small opening in the cloudy capsule
Immediately restores clear vision in most cases

Light can once again pass cleanly through to the retina; unlike the original cataract surgery, this treatment is typically much simpler, and recovery is fast.

Conclusion

I’m waiting for the prognosis on my eyesight and the secondary cataract, and I can’t help feeling a bit anxious about the wobbly lens in my right eye, the one I had implanted when I was 16. I know secondary cataracts are common after surgery and usually treated with a straightforward YAG laser procedure, but the uncertainty still weighs on me. Even so, I’m holding onto the hope that with the pace of modern technology, my vision might one day be fully restored. I’m especially encouraged by the progress in advanced intraocular lenses and early bionic‑eye research. At the moment, fully implantable bionic eye systems and “bionic lenses”, the interventions are only available in the USA, and are still in development or limited to clinical trials. Current reporting suggests that proposed “bionic lens” procedures, such as the Ocumetics Bionic Lens, have been estimated at around $16,000 – $20,000 per eye, though these technologies are not yet commercially available or clinically approved in the UK.