Video: What causes a cataract?

In this video I explain the most common causes of cataract.

Well, there are quite a few causes of cataract, but if we were to narrow them down to the three most common ones, we would say getting older is a big risk for cataract and most people over 75 develop a degree of cataract.

Probably the second most common is things like diabetes. If you have high blood sugar in diabetes mellitus, you can develop cataracts at a slightly earlier age and that’s just because this disease can cause a disturbance within the lens anatomy.

And the third commonest cause is probably something associated with steroid use. So if you take steroids – you take them with tablets or even drops in the eyes – then you can develop a natural mistiness as a side effect of steroids.

So if we’re to sum up those, these were the three common causes, but there are lots of different causes which are much rarer such as trauma, being born with cataracts, and cataracts associated with other diseases which are much rarer.

The only real way to work out when you have a cataract, is to come and see me in the clinic. If you want to do that, you can phone the phone number at the end of the video and we can make an appointment for you.

About Jaheed Khan

My name is Jaheed Khan and I am a Consultant Eye Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Clinica London.

My special expertise is in cataract surgery and conditions affecting the back of the eye, the retina, including AMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration), diabetic retinopathy, and various other diseases of the retina.

I have over 15 years experience in treating people with eye problems just like you, and have published extensively in scientific journals about treating eye conditions.

In my NHS practice, I am responsible day-to-day for the training of the eye surgeons of the future.