Question

What is the difference between blindness and cataract?

(a) Cataract happens in the retina and blindness happens to cornea

(b) Cataract is clouding up of the cornea while blindness happens if either retina, optic nerve or the occipital lobe is injured or damages

(c) Cataract can be corrected with surgery while blindness can be cured by increasing the intake of vitamin A

(d) Blindness is when cilliary muscles do not contract properly while cataract is when the eyeball has gotten deformed

I have been asked this question in an international level competition.

My query is from Artificial Organs topic in portion Rehabilitation and Recovery of Clinical Science

Answer 1

The correct choice is (b) Cataract is clouding up of the cornea while blindness happens if either retina, optic nerve or the occipital lobe is injured or damages

For explanation: Cataract is a physiological problem that occurs due to old age while blindness is mostly a neural problem. A person who is blind, either their light receptors, i.e. rods and cones are not functioning or the nerve that will carry the impulses to the brain, i.e. the optic nerve is not functioning or the occipital lobe which is the receptor lobe for eye impulses has been damaged.