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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Factors that increase your risk of cataracts include:

  • Increasing age
  • Diabetes
  • Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
  • Excessive exposure to sunlight
  • Exposure to ionizing radiation, such as that used in X-rays and cancer radiation therapy
  • Family history of cataracts
  • High blood pressure
  • Obesity
  • Previous eye injury or inflammation
  • Previous eye surgery
  • Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications
  • Smoking
Preparing for your appointment Causes
References
  1. Cataract: What you should know. National Eye Institute. http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/cataract/webcataract.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2010.
  2. Care of the adult patient with cataract. St. Louis, Mo.: American Optometric Association. http://www.aoa.org/documents/CPG-8.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2010.
  3. Wevill M. Epidemiology, pathophysiology, causes, morphology, and visual effects of cataract. In: Yanoff M, et al. Ophthalmology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/194686199-3/0/1869/0.html. Accessed April 12, 2010.
  4. Cataract in the adult eye. American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://one.aao.org/asset.axd?id=821cecfb-85c5-400d-a65f-7a9a727bc163. Accessed April 12, 2010.
  5. Acquired cataract. In: Ehler JP, et al. The Wills Eye Manual: Office and Emergency Room Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Disease. 5th ed. Baltimore, Md.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&NEWS=N&PAGE=booktext&D=books&AN=01337416/5th_Edition/3&XPATH=/OVIDBOOK%5b1%5d/METADATA%5b1%5d/TBY%5b1%5d/EDITORS%5b1%5d. Accessed April 14, 2010.
  6. Guercio JR, et al. Congenital malformations of the eye and orbit. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North American. 2007;40:113.
  7. Abel R. Cataract. In: Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/194686199-3/0/1494/0.html. Accessed April 12, 2010.
  8. Robertson DM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 24, 2010.
DS00050 May 20, 2010

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