Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world

In many cases, cataracts are age-related, in Western countries, cataracts often appearing first when a person is in his or her 40s or 50s, but not affecting vision until after age 60.

In tropical countries, cataracts are formed 10-15 years earlier due to higher exposure to UV rays, especially for those whose occupations are outdoors, e.g. farmers, fishermen, plantation workers.

Other causes of cataracts are:

• Eye trauma
• Accident
• Long-term diabetes
• Corticosteroid medications
• Radiation treatments

In infants, cataracts may be congenital (present since birth), occurring as a result of an infection that happened during pregnancy, especially syphilis, rubella or herpes simplex or possibly symptom of a metabolic disease affecting the body’s processing of carbohydrates, amino acids, calcium or copper.