Cataracts are cloudings on the pupils lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. It is the lens that focuses allowing the eyes to see.
The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it. But as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.
Researchers are continuing to resarch and find out more about what causes these specific types of proteins to cluster in unnatural ways to form and to cause lens cloudiness and cataracts. One recent finding it is fragmented proteins that bind with the normal proteins, disrupting normal function.
A cataract starts out small and at first has little effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, like looking through a cloudy piece of glass or viewing an impressionist painting.
People with diabetes, high farsightedness, retinitis pigmentosa or those taking high doses of steroids run the risk of developing a subcapsular cataract. Congenital cataracts are known to be caused by infections women get during pregnancy, such as rubella.
Cataracts have also been connected with metabolic deficiencies such as galactosemia. Congenital cataracts risk factors include is inherited metabolic diseases, history of family or genetic cataracts, and also with infections due to pregnancy.
No one knows for sure why the eye’s lens changes as we age, forming cataracts. Researchers are gradually identifying factors that may cause cataracts – and information that may help to prevent them. Many studies suggest that exposure to ultraviolet light is associated with cataract development, so eyecare practitioners recommend wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat to lessen your exposure.
Other types of radiation may also be causes. For example, a 2005 study conducted in Iceland suggests that airline pilots have a higher risk of developing nuclear cataract than non-pilots and that the cause may be exposure to cosmic radiation. A similar theory suggests that astronauts, too, are at risk from cosmic radiation.
Think about surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision.