Seeing Clearly: The Ultimate Guide to Homeopathic Remedies for Cataracts

Colchicum

• Cataract Characteristics: Arises from a general perversion of health.

Causticum

• Cataract Characteristics: Rapidly forming capsular cataracts; cataracts in young persons. Progress of the cataract is arrested.

• Eye & Vision Symptoms: Blepharitis; tumors and warts on lids and brows; scrofulous ophthalmia (with corrosive lachrymation and shooting pains extending up into the head, with a green halo around light); cornea covered with red vessels and a tendency to bulge; trachoma with pannus; paralysis of the eye muscles.

• Modalities: Blepharitis is ameliorated (better) in fresh air. Ophthalmia pains are worse in the evening and at night. Muscle paralysis particularly from exposure to cold.

Conium maculatum

• Cataract Characteristics: Cataract resulting from contusion.

• Eye & Vision Symptoms: Prevailing neurotic element; great dread of light with very little visible inflammation; conjunctiva is unnaturally bloodless, and the globe of the eye has a pearly aspect. Only palpebral conjunctiva is congested, striated, or studded with granulations. Weakness and dazzling of eyes causing giddiness and debility (especially of arms and legs); staggering as if drunken when walking. Induration of the lids; ptosis; blennorrhoea of lachrymal sac; ulcers and pustules of cornea. Hyperaesthesia of retina; paralysis of muscles; asthenopia. Vision is good for fixed objects, but moving objects create a haze, dull vision, and vertigo.

• Pain & Sensitivities: Aversion to light without eye inflammation; photophobia with profuse flow of tears when eyes are forcibly opened (with very slight or no redness).

• Modalities: Pains are worse at night and in any light; relieved in a dark room and by pressure.

• Associated Conditions: Complications with glandular affections, especially around the neck, in scrofulous children.

Euphorbium officinarum

• Cataract Characteristics: Lens is milk-white.

Euphrasia officinalis

• Cataract Characteristics: Cataract accompanied by eyes that water a great deal.

Hepar sulphur

• Eye Symptoms: Iritis, neuralgia ciliaris. Pressing, boring, throbbing pains in the eye; eye is tender to touch. Photophobia and great tenderness of the conjunctiva. Lids are red, swollen, and closed spasmodically.

• Modalities: Pains are ameliorated by warmth and aggravated by motion.

• Associated Conditions: Patient feels chilly and wants to be warmly covered.

Kalium sulphuricum

• Cataract Characteristics: Cataracts present.

• Eye Symptoms: Eyelids covered with yellow crusts; watery or purulent mucous discharge from eyes that is yellow or greenish. Ophthalmia neonatorum.

Lycopodium

• Eye Symptoms: Constant inclination to touch and rub the eye in order to relieve pressure.

Phosphorus

• Cataract Characteristics: Stony cataract in arthritic patients; granular (fatty) cataract with arcus senilis (similar to Silicea).

• Eye Symptoms: History of frequent attacks of ophthalmia (once, twice, or more a year). Inflammation is chiefly confined to the right eye (which is red), while the left is only comparatively slightly affected.

• Sensitivities: Photophobia is worse in the right eye.

Plumbum

• Cataract Characteristics: Rapidly forming capsular cataracts.

Psorinum

• Progression & Cause: Moves from right to left; occurs after skin affections have been suppressed.

Rhus toxicodendron

• Eye Symptoms: Idiopathic and rheumatic iritis (from exposure to wet); suppurative iritis (particularly of traumatic origin, such as after cataract extraction); kerato-iritis. Lids are oedematous and spasmodically closed—upon opening them, tears gush out profusely. Chemosis and marked photophobia. Vesicular eruption on the corresponding side of the face. Pains shoot through the eye to the back of the head, and iritis may go on to suppuration.

• Modalities: Various pains around the eye are aggravated at night (especially after midnight, similar to Ars.) and in damp weather.

Secale cornutum

• Cataract Characteristics: Hard and soft cataracts.

• Eye & Vision Symptoms: Retinitis diabetica; dimness of vision; eyes sunken and surrounded with a blue margin; dilated pupils.

Sepia officinalis

• Cataract Characteristics: Cataract in women.

• Causes & Context: Follows typhoids, suppression of menses, or disorders of nutrition in deep-seated eye structures. Ophthalmic disorders dependent on uterine troubles. Obscuration of vision dependent upon hepatic derangement. Asthenopia from reflex irritation caused by uterine affections.

• Eye Symptoms: Acute and chronic blepharitis (lids raw and sore, eyes full of matter, eversion of puncta, numb-pain in inner canthus). Acute catarrhal conjunctivitis (drawing sensation in external canthus, smarting). Keratitis phlyctenularis (drawing, aching, sticking pains). Daylight dazzles and causes headache with lachrymation (especially in open air). Painful heaviness of upper lids on awaking; acne ciliaris; tarsal tumors; follicular and trachomatous conjunctivitis during summer.

• Modalities: Symptoms are aggravated morning and evening, but better during the day. Conjunctivitis is ameliorated by bathing in cold water. Keratitis pains are worse by rubbing and pressure. Summer conjunctivitis is always aggravated in hot weather, especially from abuse of tea.

Silicea terra

• Cataract Characteristics: Cataract generally, and specifically granular (fatty) cataract with arcus senilis (similar to Phos.). Dependent upon uterine disorders, climaxis, or hepatic affections.

• Eye Symptoms: Caries of the orbit; dacryocystitis (swelling, tenderness, pain, lachrymation, very sensitive to fresh air); blennorrhoea of lachrymal sac; lachrymal fistula. Acute and chronic blepharitis; crescentic ulcers of cornea with little photophobia or lachrymation; hypopion; sclerochoroiditis anterior. Styes filled with pus; suppurating cystic tumors on lids; ulcerating lid edges. Amblyopia from suppressed habitual foot-sweat.

• Pains: Ciliary neuralgia with darting pains through eyes and head upon any exposure to a draught of air or just before a storm.

Sulphur

• Cataract Characteristics: Cataract (along with hypopion, choroiditis, and choroi-retinitis) if accompanied by darting pains and based upon abdominal venosity, portal circulation stagnation, habitual constipation, cerebral congestion, or metastasis of chronic/suppressed skin diseases.

• Causes & Context: Arises from suppression of habitual foot-sweats, disordered nutrition, and after inflammation of eyes.

• Eye Symptoms: Chronic blepharitis in strumous children (who are irritable/cross by day and feverish/restless at night); lid edges redder than natural (Graph. is paler). Itching, biting, burning, or sand-in-eye sensation. Lids swollen, red, and agglutinated in the morning; patient cannot bear to have eyes washed. Eczematous affections of lids; blennorrhoea of lachrymal sac, fistula lachrymalis. Acute/chronic catarrhal conjunctivitis (sharp darting pains like pins, or pressing, tensive, cutting, burning pains). Ophthalmia neonatorum (profuse, thick, yellow discharge, swollen lids). Pustular inflammation of cornea and conjunctiva (sharp sticking splinter-like pains). Photophobia and profuse lachrymation; considerable redness (especially at angles). Acrid, corrosive, or tenacious discharges; lids swell, burn, and smart. Chronic scleritis.

• Modalities: Blepharitis is aggravated in hot weather and near a hot stove; ameliorated in winter.

Traumatic Cataract

Remedies specific to cataracts caused by trauma include: Amm., Arn., Con., Cupr., Puls., Ruta, Caust., Calc. carb., or Calc. fluor.