Joseph Patrick McGraw, MD - What Causes Cataracts?
2021-06-04
Category: Cataracts
For many, cataracts are an unavoidable part of aging, and everyone will develop cataracts so long as they live long enough. However, certain risk factors can lead to their development, such as health problems, past eye surgeries, or conditions like diabetes. In this video, Dr. McGraw discusses the causes of cataracts.
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Dr. Joseph Patrick McGraw: So, what causes cataracts? For the vast majority people, we get cataracts as the part of the aging process. So, the average age for cataract surgery in United States is around 70. So if you get it anytime from, say, 65 or above, it's just because of getting old.
There are families that get cataracts at a younger age, families that get them in their 30s and 40s, so that would be a genetic condition. There are...you could be born with it, in fact. There are certain medications, like, steroids, certain diseases, like, diabetes, where you will see people getting them at a much earlier age. But for the average person, it's more of a function of our aging process.