Is lens damage permanent after corticosteroids eye drops?

Long term use of corticosteroid eye drops can cause a less common type of cataract (lens opacity) called "posterior sub-capsular." Unlike the more common age-related cataracts, these can form fairly quickly. Unfortunately, they are not reversible nor will they go away when the drops are discontinued. So yes…the damage is permanent and may well require surgery to fix.

_Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic