Symptoms of the disease

• A progressively more view trouble or obscured.
• Double vision or a glare easier in the presence of bright lights. Glare considerably hinders night driving.
• A bland and less vivid perception of colors.
• A hazy vision. Objects appear as if they are behind a white veil.
• A more frequent need to change vision correction, because cataracts accentuate myopia. (However, people who are farsighted may initially feel that their vision is improving.)

Notes. Cataracts are painless.

People at risk 

Cataracts can affect anyone because its main risk factor is the aging of the eye. However, this risk is greater in people:

• have had diabetes for several years;
• having a family history of cataracts;
• who have had previous trauma or surgical treatment to the eye;
• who live at high altitudes or near the equator, more exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays;
• who have received radiation therapy, a commonly used treatment for cancer.

Risk factors 

• Taking some pharmaceuticals can cause cataracts (eg, corticosteroids, long term). A doctor should be consulted if in doubt.
• Exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. It increases the risk of developing senile cataracts. The sun’s rays, especially UVB rays, transform proteins in the lens of the eye.
• Smoking. the tobacco damages lens proteins.
• THEalcoholism.
• A diet low in fruits and vegetables. Research shows a link between the onset of cataracts and a lack of antioxidant vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, selenium, beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene.