Sage-Tips

Can you get cataracts in your 30s?

While cataracts most commonly affect people over the age of 60, it is not so uncommon for people to develop cataracts in their 40s, 30s and even 20s.

At what age does the risk of cataracts increase?

The risk of cataract increases with each decade of life starting around age 40. By age 75, half of white Americans have cataract. By age 80, 70 percent of whites have cataract compared with 53 percent of blacks and 61 percent of Hispanic Americans.

What is the recommended age for cataract surgery?

Typically, most cataract procedures are performed after the age of 60 due to the aging process, however some patients may develop cataracts earlier around age 50.

What causes cataracts at an early age?

As we age, the natural arrangement of proteins in the lens breaks down. This causes the proteins to eventually cluster together, clouding the lens and creating the cataract. Other factors include exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, eye injury, genetic disorders, steroid use, radiation therapy, smoking, and diabetes.

Can cataracts develop suddenly?

Cataract development is usually a gradual process of normal aging, but can occasionally occur rapidly. Many people are unaware that they have cataracts because the changes in their vision have been so gradual. Cataracts commonly affect both eyes, but it is not uncommon for cataracts in one eye to advance more rapidly.

What increases risk of cataract?

Factors that increase your risk of cataracts include: Increasing age. Diabetes. Excessive exposure to sunlight.

What causes cataracts to grow quickly?

Trauma-related cataracts are typically the most fast-growing type of cataracts. Radiation: Radiation-related cataracts, sometimes listed under trauma-related cataracts, occur after the lens has been exposed to radiation. Exposure to high levels of radiation can result in clouded vision in as little as two years.

Is it better to have cataract surgery early?

Cataracts may become more difficult to be removed once they become mature. This is why many doctors advise patients to have surgery earlier on, as soon as vision is affected on a regular basis.

Can you get cataracts in your 40s?

Cataracts, a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye, can start in people in their 40s, although they won’t likely be noticeable. As a person ages, a cataract can grow to the point where it impairs vision in the eye.

Can a cataract stop growing?

Cataracts are the clouding of the eye’s lens over time. Some believe that everyone eventually develops cataracts—this is not true. Those that are on the path to developing cataracts can slow their progression by reducing the lifestyle choices and habits that lead to the formation of cataracts in the first place.

Can High BP cause cataracts?

The results of the present meta-analysis containing cohort and case-control or cross-sectional studies showed that hypertension was associated with an increased risk of cataract without regard for cataract types.