Cataracts is one of the most common eye disorders that affect numerous people around the world. This is a slow-progressing clouding-eye lens disorder, which despite that, may lead to gradual vision loss. Cataracts may be suffered by adults, senior citizens, and even infants, considering some potential types of this eye problem. The natural process of aging is assumed as the most potential risk factor causing the formation of cataracts on the eye lens, although some other risk factors may also have the same role.

Main cause of cataracts

Most cases of cataracts are induced by the process of aging. When we age, there is existing deterioration of the eye lens health status. The eye lens may become less flexible, less transparent, and thicker. Thus, it is possible for protein in our eye lens to trigger clumps that lead to unclear, cloudy vision. Aging is not the only cause of cataracts, though, as damages to the eye lens tissues also have a significant role in triggering the formation of cataracts. Injuries to these tissues, thus, are also a common cause of cataracts, leading to blurry or spotted eye vision.
In addition to aging process and damages to the eye lens tissues, cataracts may also be gained as a result of genetic hereditary disorders. These kind of disorders do not only increase the risk of developing cataracts, but also some other health complications. Inherited cataracts may also cause cataracts in infants, which they acquire at birth.

Risk factors leading to cataract development

Although cataracts are known as either inherited or aging-process eye disorder, there are some other things that have a significant role in increasing your risk of being exposed to this eye lens clouding. Some of these risk factors are definitely avoidable, while some others may be much harder, if not impossible, to avoid. Knowing what the risk factors are give you a chance of minimizing your risk of having this slow-progressing eye lens problem.
Some unavoidable things may possibly increase your risk of cataract. These risk factors include the natural process of aging and an inherited cloudy eye lens. Thus, aging has become the main cause of cataracts for adults and senior citizens all over the world, while an inherited retina disorder may cause newborns and infants to suffer from this cloudy eye lens. Family history is another risk factor of cataracts that can hardly be avoided. Therefore, if your family has got a history of cataracts, you are likely to experience the same eye disorder at a certain time of your life, although this may not necessarily applicable to everyone.

Avoidable risk factors

In contrast with the above risk factors, other cataract risk factors are considerably avoidable. Your risk of cataract thus can be minimized if you prevent keep yourself away from these avoidable risk factors, which include:

⦁ Other health complications, such as diabetes
With diabetes, the progress of existing cataracts may increase twice faster. Thus, it is very important to maintain your blood sugar level in order to decrease the risk of diabetes and prevent the occurrence of cataracts.
⦁ Injuries to the eyes
Injuries may not be predictable, but doing activities with cautions may prevent you from getting injuries to your eye, which increases the risk of cataract development. You are advised to put on glasses when doing sports and other contact activities in order to minimize the risk of injuries.
⦁ Smoking
We all know smoking is a bad habit that influences your entire health status. Your eye condition is not an exception. If you smoke heavily, you are likely to experience damages to the eye tissues, which may cause retina degradation that may end up in cataract development.
⦁ Poor diet
What you eat also determine your risk of developing cataract, in that in order to be healthy, the eye needs sufficient nutritious that you get from your daily diet intake. Too much processed foods, junk foods, and low-in-fiber diet may cause malnutrition to the organ tissues, including the eyes and increase your risk of having protein clumps on the eye lens, which is an initial phase of cataract development. If you do not improve your diet, this cataract progress may be massive and put your entire vision at risk.