Causes
The lenses of your eyes are mostly made up of neatly arranged proteins.
Sometimes these proteins stick together, breaking formation, and lose transparency.
This causes the lenses to become cloudy. The world becomes hazy, darker, and
less colorful. Untreated, the cloudy area may spread, progressively destroying
vision in that eye.
A few people are born with congenital cataracts, which usually affect
both eyes. These don't always affect vision.
Traumatic cataracts is a condition that may appear immediately following
an eye injury, or it may occur years later.
Secondary cataracts are caused by certain chronic diseases. Diabetes
is the most common cause of secondary cataracts.
Aging is the most common cause of cataracts. These cataracts are called senile
cataracts.
These factors can add to the risk of developing cataracts:
- Exposure to sunlight increases the risk of senile cataracts. Radiation
from the sun, especially ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, damages the proteins in
the lens.
- Cigarette smoke damages the proteins in the lens.
- Lack of some vitamins and other antioxidants, such as vitamins C
and E, selenium, beta-carotene, and lycopene has been shown by research to
be linked to cataracts. Antioxidants protect the body from oxidants, also
known as free radicals. Free radicals react with your cells, effectively "rusting"
them. If you're not getting enough antioxidants in your diet, such as vitamins
C and E, you might be putting yourself at risk for cataracts.
Certain medications can also cause cataracts, including:
- chlorpromazine*, a sedative
- amiodarone, a heart medication
- phenytoin, an anti-seizure drug used in epilepsy
- lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering medication
- corticosteroids such as prednisone that are used to reduce inflammation