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cataract

bg1996

Senior Member
Cantonese,Mandarin;Kwangtung/Guangdong,hk
"Cataracts is a condition that affects the transparency of the lenses."

Why does "is" appear here? not "are"?
"Cataracts is a condition that affects the transparency of the lenses."

Why does "is" appear here? not "are"?

Turn it round: A condition [that affects the transparency of the lenses] is cataracts.

"is" relates to condition.
Cataracts is a name. So is the Rolling Stones, which is a very famous band. And the Seychelles is an archipelago and a nation. The Doldrums is a legendary weather phenomenon.
Is Cataract or cataracts the name of disease of eyes?
According to Collins Cobuild: usually develop because of old age or illness.
According to online Longman: is a medical condition that causes the lens of your eye to become white, so that you slowly lose your sight.
So, I guess both cataracts and cataract mean same thing, if you use plural form, a regular verb follows, if you use singular form then verb+S.
What do you think?
Thanks, all.
As what fatbaby said, this's also from my dictionary:
"Cataracts are layers over a person's eyes that prevent them from seeing properly."
"A cataract is a layer..."
And in OED, the word is referred to as a count noun.

So, "Cataracts is a condition that affects the transparency of the lenses." is wrong or a typo, though it's also from my Collins dictionary.
There are lots of diseases that end in -s but are singular:
- Measles is (not) a life-threatening disease.
- Mumps is (not) a life-threatening disease.
- Shingles is (not) a life-threating disease.
- Cataracts is (not) a life-threatening disease.

The Oxford English Dictionary says that measles and mumps are 'in plural form, usually with singular concord'. It doesn't make any similar comment on shingles or cataracts, but I think they are commonly used in the same way.
Opacity in one eye is a cataract. I have never heard of a measle, a mump, or a shingle (for a pustule, or whatever). There is such a thing as a pock, but usually pox is taken as singular.
Hm, confusing... in the above posts (and also elsewhere) you can see cataracts both used as plural and singular. My guesses, to summarize:
- He has a cataract ==> has it in one eye only
- His cataracts are not looking good ==> has them definitely in both eyes?
- His cataracts is getting worse ==> he has the disease, either in one or in both eyes

Correct?

Thanks!
Hm, confusing... in the above posts (and also elsewhere) you can see cataracts both used as plural and singular. My guesses, to summarize:
- He has a cataract ==> has it in one eye only👁 Tick :tick:

- His cataracts are not looking good ==> has them definitely in both eyes?👁 Tick :tick:

- His cataracts is getting worse ==> he has the disease, either in one or in both eyes 👁 Confused :confused:


Correct?

Thanks!
In this context, " cataracts is" sounds odd, but:

Cataracts mainly affects older adults.👁 Tick :tick:
I'm pretty sure "cataracts" is plural for me:
His cataracts are getting worse.
Cataracts mainly affect older adults.
I'm pretty sure "cataracts" is plural for me:
👁 Thumbs Up :thumbsup:
👁 Thumbs Up :thumbsup:
Me too.
The word is not in the same category as mumps, measles, and shingles. We can have a cataract, but not a mump, a measle, or a shingle.
I would not say "Cataracts is a disease", and I wouldn't say "Cataracts are a disease" either. They are instances or manifestations of a condition, and although the condition can be described in an abstract way as "cataracts", we would not say "John has cataracts" when he has only one cataract.
I'm pretty sure "cataracts" is plural for me:
His cataracts are getting worse.
Cataracts mainly affect older adults.
Hello, may I ask this:

Even if a patient has cataract in one eye. Do I say "His cataract is getting worse, but he doesn't want to have it removed." or "His cataracts are getting worse, but he doesn't want to have it removed."?

Thank you.
"His cataracts are getting worse, but he doesn't want to have it removed."? 👁 Cross :cross:
If you're going to use the plural (which I wouldn't when there is only one), you need to be consistent and use "have them removed".
You would hear "He's got cataracts", but not, I think, "He's got cataracts in one eye". But perhaps you would, if "cataracts" refers to the disease in general.
It's somewhat unusual because it affects two different body parts but it usually affects both at the same time. So saying cataracts could refer to the disease or it could refer to the fact that you have one in each eye. I'm not sure it's always clear. As said above, that is not the case with shingles or mumps or any other disease ending in s.
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