senile cataract n a cataract of a type that occurs in the aged and is characterized by an initial opacity in the lens, subsequent swelling of the lens, and final shrinkage with complete loss of transparency
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the most common kind of cataract, painless and of unknown cause, developing without any traumatic, ocular, systemic, or congenital disorder. Senile cataracts are associated solely with aging, some degree of cataract being normal in persons over 50. Most form in the cortical area of the lens, but some form in the nuclear area and a few in the subcapsular area.Medical dictionary. 2011.