Aftercataracts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Cloudy opacities developing behind the eye's natural lens after cataract surgery, causing vision to become blurry or hazy
2. Secondary clouding occurring at the back of the lens capsule following removal of a natural lens affected by cataracts, impairing clear sight
3. Postoperative consequence marked by the formation of opalescent lesions on the posterior capsule of the eye lens, reducing visual clarity after cataract extraction

Etymology: "Aftercataracts" is the plural of "aftercataract," a noun for the cloudiness that can develop after cataract surgery. The word is built from "after-" and "cataract," both English, so it needs little more than a note on its parts. The prefix "after-" comes from Old English "æfter," meaning behind in place or following in time, and it has long been used to form compounds for something that comes later or as a consequence of something else. "Cataract" has a more involved path. It came into English from Latin "cataracta," meaning a portcullis or a waterfall, which is also the sense that gave the eye condition its name. The eye meaning reflects the idea of a veil or film falling over the sight, as a waterfall pours down. Joined to "after-," the compound names the clouding that can return some time after the original surgery removed the cloudy lens.

Synonyms: post-cataracts, secondary cataracts