Table of contents:
- What happens to cataracts?
- Causes of cataracts other than aging
- 1. Diabetes
- 2. Trauma
- 3. Congenital cataracts
- 4. Galactosemia
- 5. Toxocariasis
Cataracts are one of the most common degenerative eye diseases we encounter. At the age of approximately 60 years, cataracts usually begin to form naturally due to the aging process. However, did you know that cataracts can also be caused by other things? Cataracts due to certain causes can even affect children. For more details, let's look at the five diseases that cause cataracts in the eye below.
What happens to cataracts?
Cataracts are all forms of cloudiness in the lens of the eye that can be caused by various things. The aging process is the most common cause of cataracts, with 50 percent of people from the age group 65 to 74 years. Meanwhile, the age group of more than 75 years has an increased chance of experiencing cataracts by 70 percent.
The turbidity that occurs in the eye lens is caused by a buildup of protein in the lens that causes light or light that enters through the lens to be scattered. Because of this, less light reaches the retina. The protein buildup also makes the lenses a yellow-brown color.
Therefore, the vision of people who have cataracts becomes blurry and tends to be yellowish or brownish in color.
Causes of cataracts other than aging
As discussed, the main cause of cataracts is the aging process. But besides that, several other causes can also cause or trigger cataracts in the eye. Among them are diabetes, genetic disorders, galactosemia, parasitic infections, and trauma. For more details, consider the following discussion of the causes of cataracts.
1. Diabetes
People with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes must be very careful to control your blood sugar. High blood sugar levels that last for a long time can cause complications to various organs of the body, one of which is the lens of your eye. Yes, people with diabetes have a faster risk of cataracts when compared to people in general.
The relationship between diabetes and cataracts lies in the sugar in your blood. Part of the sugar in the blood will enter the eye lens as nutrition. When your blood sugar level is not controlled, the sugar level in the eye lens will increase. The high sugar content in the lens causes water to enter the lens so that the lens becomes swollen.
After that, there is an enzyme in the eye lens that converts sugar into sorbitol. The accumulated sorbitol can cause changes in the protein in the lens so that the lens becomes cloudy. Slowly, cataracts will attack your vision.
2. Trauma
Cataracts can also occur as a result of physical trauma. Trauma itself can occur if you experience an injury from a blow, puncture, or excessive pressure to the head and eye area. Now, the impact, puncture, or pressure on the eye area can cause damage to the lens tissues inside the eye. This damage can increase your risk of developing cataracts.
3. Congenital cataracts
Cataracts in childhood or childhood cataract is a cataract that forms at birth. This disease can also be felt in childhood or adolescence. Well, cataracts that appear from birth are referred to as congenital cataracts.
Congenital cataracts are usually caused by genetic disorders or due to bacterial infection suffered by the mother during her pregnancy. There are many types of infections that have been noted to affect the development of the lens in the eye while the baby is growing in the womb. Some of them are the rubella virus, the toxoplasma parasite, cytomegalovirus, the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox, and the herpes simplex virus.
4. Galactosemia
Galactosemia is a hereditary disease that makes the baby's body unable to convert galactose, a special compound from carbohydrates, into glucose. As a result, galactose builds up in the blood.
Galactose is converted to galactitol, both of which accumulate in the lens of the eye. The buildup of both will draw water into the lens of your eye. If not treated immediately, the eye lens will become blurry.
Among babies with galactosemia, about 75 percent will develop cataracts in both eyes even in the first few weeks since birth.
5. Toxocariasis
Toxocariasis is a type of Toxocara roundworm infection that is transmitted from animals to humans. These roundworms usually come from cats or dogs. Although it is rare, toxocariasis can also occur when you eat meat from animals that have not been cooked, especially lamb or rabbit.
These dangerous worms can move and lay eggs in the human body. After that, these worms will spread to various organs of the human body, including the eyes. In the human eye, this worm infection can cause cloudiness in the lens.
