What causes cataracts?
A cataract occurs when the lens inside your eye gets cloudy. Things linked to clouding include:
- Aging. But changes caused by aging don't always lead to cataracts.
- Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This includes UV light from sunlight, tanning booths, or sun lamps.
- Diabetes, especially when the blood sugar levels are above the safe range. This can cause changes in the eye that can cause cataracts.
- Diseases inside the eye. These include glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, retinal detachment, and long-term uveitis.
- Long-term use of steroid medicines.
- Frequent X-rays or radiation treatments to the head.
- Family history. A person may inherit the tendency to get cataracts.
- Vitrectomy. People who have had the vitreous gel removed from their eye (vitrectomy) have a higher risk of cataracts.
- Eye injury. Injury-related cataracts are rare. But injury is a leading cause of cataracts in children.
- Being born with cataracts (congenital). Some children are born with them.
