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Doctors don't know for sure why some people get cataracts and others don't. But some things increase your chance of getting them. Doctors call these things risk factors.

If you have a risk factor, it doesn't mean that you'll get cataracts for sure. It just means you're more likely to get them than somebody who doesn't have that risk factor.

Here are some of the risk factors for cataracts.

• Smoking a lot. You're more than twice as likely to get cataracts in middle age if you smoke a lot or have done so in the past. The more cigarettes you smoke, the higher your chance of getting cataracts. But your chances go down slightly if you quit smoking. You're more likely to get a type of cataract called a nuclear cataract if you smoke.^{1 2} In this type, your lens turns from clear to yellow-brown.
• Being out in the sun a lot. You may be three times more likely to get cortical cataracts (the kind that grows from the edge of your lens) if you get a lot of ultraviolet B rays from the sun. These rays can give you a sunburn, blisters and skin cancer. To protect your eyes, you can wear a hat with a brim and sunglasses with lenses that stop these rays from reaching your eyes.^{3 4}
• Having cataracts run in your family. You may be two or three times more likely to get cataracts if your brothers and sisters have them. Cataracts run in families. But we don't know how much of this is due to sharing the same genes or to living the same way.⁵
• Drinking a lot of alcohol. People who have more than four glasses of alcohol a day may be more likely to get cataracts. But having a drink every now and then doesn't seem to increase your chance of getting cataracts as you age.⁶
• Not eating healthy foods. You may be less likely to get cataracts if what you eat has enough vitamins and minerals. Some research has shown that taking vitamin E (and maybe vitamin A and vitamin C) might prevent getting cataracts. These vitamins are known as antioxidants. But doctors don't recommend this because there isn't enough evidence to know for sure that the vitamins help.⁷
• Eating too little or too much. Some studies have shown that people who don't get enough to eat may be more likely to get cataracts. Other studies have shown that you're more likely to get cataracts at the back of your lens if you are overweight.⁷ These cataracts are called posterior subcapsular cataracts.
• Taking certain drugs. People who take drugs called steroids for a long time are more likely to get a cataract at the back of their lens (a posterior subcapsular cataract). One study found that 4 in 10 people taking steroids for a condition called rheumatoid arthritis got this type of cataract. Steroids that you use as creams and as drops to treat eye problems and steroids that you breathe in to treat asthma also have been linked to this type of cataract.⁸ Other drugs may increase the risk of cataracts caused by aging.⁹ But we need more research to know for sure. Taking aspirin may help stop you from getting cataracts, but there hasn't been enough research yet.
• Getting dehydrated. If your body is low on fluids, doctors say you are dehydrated. This could increase your chance of getting cataracts. Some studies show a link between getting cataracts and having had bad diarrhea or an infection called cholera. These conditions dry your body out.^{6 10}
• Having diabetes. People with diabetes are more likely to get cataracts linked to aging at a younger age. To read more, see Cataracts and diabetes.
• Having heart disease. Some research has shown that if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, you might be more likely to get cataracts.¹¹ But other research has shown that people with heart disease aren't more likely to get cataracts.¹¹
• Making less money or having less education. People who make more money and have more education are less likely to get the type of cataract called nuclear cataracts. But we don't know why.²
• Being a woman. Slightly more women than men get cataracts. We don't know why this happens.¹²

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.