What causes cataracts?

A healthy lens is a clear structure, allowing light to enter the eye. It focuses that light onto the retina, which enables clear vision. Cataracts are caused by proteins that clump together on the lens, making it cloudy. These protein aggregates get larger over time, and may also cause the lens to discolor. A cloudy and discolored lens will not filter light appropriately and therefore cause visual disturbances. The most frequent cause of this is normal aging, and most cataracts will occur in people over the age of 60. Other contributing factors include genetics, smoking, diabetes, and sun damage. A severe trauma to the eye can also cause a cataract to develop.^[1]