The eye lens focuses incoming light on the Retina (nerve cells) of the eye, which in turn pass on the signal to the brain, which interprets what is being seen.

The lens also adjusts its focus to the relative strength of the incoming light and discriminates between distant and close objects, it is normally clear and transparent, but sometimes becomes cloudy, which is the condition known as an eye cataract

But just what is it that makes the lens becomes cloudy, what is the cause of an eye cataract? Medical people who study cataracts are unsure about the absolute cause of the condition, but point to certain risk factors which are positively related to cataracts, they include—

Some Causes of Eye Cataracts.

n  The Aging Process. Cataracts generally occur in people over the age of sixty, and this is why many elderly people are forced to wear eye glasses to assist in focusing on the object being observed. Cataracts can and do occur in younger people , but this is less common.

n  Physical Injury. Most often called traumatic cataracts, these can be caused by a severe blow to the head or face, some unfortunate cancer sufferers may run the risk also of having cataracts, due to their exposure to radiation during chemotherapy treatment.

n  Radiation Causes. Persons who are ‘sun worshippers’ are continually at risk of cataracts building up due to the exposure to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

n  Medicinal Causes. The use of other medicines for whatever purpose can increase the chances of eye cataracts, links have been established with the uses of  Allopurinol, which is a treatment for gout, and the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen, even the long term use of the common Aspirin, has come under suspicion as having causal effects for eye cataracts.

n  Tobacco use. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that tobacco smokers are at twice the risk of developing cataracts than non users, and that giving up the habit significantly reduces the chance of having an eye cataract.

If any person is noticing that she/he is having difficulty with eye focusing ,for instance in reading print, being bothered from the glare of lights, starting to bump into furniture or any other visual disturbances, then the possibility of a cataract exists, and the person should seek medical help.

Help for the treatment of eye cataracts is readily available either by a doctor or an optician. Maybe more corrective lenses are needed in the persons eye glasses and this is easily done, but if the cataract develops to such an extent that it seriously interferes with normal daily habits, and corrected lenses do not solve the vision problem, then eye surgery for the removal of the cataract maybe recommended.

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