Top 5: What Causes Cataracts?

Cataracts usually form during a slow process that clouds the lens of the eye. In the beginning it will only be part of the lens that is clouded and sufferers will not immediately notice it. The more the lens gets clouded the more difficult it will become to read or see at night.

What causes cataracts mostly is aging and many older people suffer from cataracts. With aging the lens becomes less flexible and thicker. The protein fibers in the lens break down and clump together to cloud the lens and form cataracts.

Some babies are born with cataracts. What cause cataracts in a baby, is German measles during pregnancy or other metabolic disorders.
Eye injuries can result in cataracts. After an eye injury the onset of the cataract is much faster than with aging.

Diabetic people are at a higher risk of eye related illnesses and diabetes is also what causes cataracts in some younger people.
Excessive exposure to sunlight or exposure to ionizing radiation can cause cataracts.

The symptoms of cataracts include blurred vision, difficulty with night vision, sensitivity to light, fading of colors and double vision in one of the eyes.

Cataract removal is a relatively easy process and has a high success rate. The cloudy lens is usually replaced with a clear one and recovery is fast. If cataracts are on both eyes, surgery is done on one eye at a time. Surgery is the only effective method and there are no drugs that can remove or cure cataracts.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.