🍪
'Tis the season sale SAVE 30% now
Registered Nurse (RN)
/
Courses
/
Medical Surgical Nursing & Pathophysiology
/
Eye Disorders
/
Cataract

Master Cataract with Picmonic for Nursing RN

With Picmonic, facts become pictures. We've taken what the science shows - image mnemonics work - but we've boosted the effectiveness by building and associating memorable characters, interesting audio stories, and built-in quizzing.

DOWNLOAD PDF
Cataract

Cataract

Cadillac-cataracts
Picmonic
Cataracts are opacities of the lens that develop gradually over time. These are age-related and are typically painless. When examining patients we see a cloudy, opaque lens, which leads to decreased visual acuity. The definitive treatment for cataracts is surgery.
6 KEY FACTS
MECHANISM
Age-related
Older Adult

There is no specific cause for cataract development, but rather it is because of the aging process. Some forms of cataracts can be secondary to congenital defects, injury, or from another eye disease (rubella, UV exposure, corticosteroids).

ASSESSMENT
No Pain
No Pain-bolts sign

Typically, cataracts develop insidiously because these are painless. Patients do not complain of any eye-related pain.

Cloudy Opaque Lens
Cloudy Opaque Eyes

When assessing a patient, we see a cloudy, opaque lens that can be described as milky. A totally opaque lens creates the appearance of a white pupil.

Decreased Visual Acuity
Down-arrow Eye Accuracy

The patient with cataracts may complain of a decrease in vision, abnormal color perception, and glare. Glare is due to light scatter caused by the lens opacities, and can be significantly worse at night when the pupil dilates that leads to a decrease in night vision.

Occurs Gradually
Gradual Decline

The development of cataracts are gradual, as is the loss in vision in patients. The rate of cataract development varies with the individual.

TREATMENT
Surgery
Surgeon

Surgical removal of the lens is the best treatment for cataracts. The lens is removed completely and replaced with an intraocular lens implant. This is performed one eye at a time.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Recommended Picmonics

picmonic thumbnail
Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma (PACG - Acute)
picmonic thumbnail
Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG - Chronic)
picmonic thumbnail
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
picmonic thumbnail
Detached Retina

Take the Cataract Quiz

Picmonic's rapid review multiple-choice quiz allows you to assess your knowledge.

It's worth every penny

Our Story Mnemonics Increase Mastery and Retention

Memorize facts with phonetic mnemonics

Unforgettable characters with concise but impactful videos (2-4 min each)

Memorize facts with phonetic mnemonics

Ace Your Registered Nurse (RN) Classes & Exams with Picmonic:

Over 1,990,000 students use Picmonic’s picture mnemonics to improve knowledge, retention, and exam performance.

Choose the #1 Registered Nurse (RN) student study app.

Picmonic for Registered Nurse (RN) covers information that is relevant to your entire Registered Nurse (RN) education. Whether you’re studying for your classes or getting ready to conquer your NCLEX®-RN, Hesi, ATI, TEAS test, Kaplan exams, we’re here to help.

Works better than traditional Registered Nurse (RN) flashcards.

Research shows that students who use Picmonic see a 331% improvement in memory retention and a 50% improvement in test scores.