Does high sugar cause cataracts?

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asked Feb 2 in Eye Health by HopeARK (2,940 points)
Does high sugar cause cataracts?

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answered Feb 2 by Gaperkins (7,580 points)
High sugar and high blood sugar levels over time can cause cataracts and lead to structural changes in the lens of your eye.

A rosette cataract is a kind of traumatic cataract and is the clouding of the eye lens that occurs from either blunt trauma to the head or eye region or from penetrating ocular trauma that results in disruption of the eye lens fibers which in turn also prevents a clear image from forming in your retina.

A nuclear cataract is a cataract with an opacity or clouding which develops in the eye lens nucleus and is one that is located in the center of the eye lens.

Your nucleus tends to darken and change from clear to yellow and sometimes brown.

A Christmas tree cataract is a type of cataract which is more common in people that have myotonic dystrophy which is a muscular disease.

Because of the refractive, colorful nature of the cataract when observed, it often gives the appearance of colored lights on the branches of a Christmas tree.

The cataract that is most visually disturbing is a subcapsular cataract in which clouding occurs toward the back of your eye lens.

With a subcapsular cataract you may notice that your reading and or your night vision are affected negatively or your vision is poor when you are in bright light.

Floaters don't lead to cataracts as floaters and cataracts affect two different areas of the eyes.

Cataracts build up on the eyes lens and floaters develop in the posterior of your eye within the vitreous fluid.

As a person ages the vitreous is likely to shrink and can become stringy.

The kind of eye trauma that causes cataracts is penetrating eye trauma which is a kind of eye trauma that can occur when a sharp object such as a nail, tip of a pencil, piece of glass etc penetrates your eye.

If the sharp object does make it's way past your cornea to your eye lens then a traumatic cataract can be expected.

The 3 types of cataracts are Nuclear Sclerotic Cataracts, Cortical Cataracts and Posterior Subcapsular Cataracts.

Cataracts are the clouding of the lens of the eye which impairs your vision.

The types of cataracts are classified based on where and how the cataracts develop in your eye.

A nuclear sclerotic cataract is the most serious type of cataract and progresses slowly and may require many years of gradual development before it begins to affect vision.

If left untreated the nuclear sclerotic cataract can cause blindness.

The most difficult to remove cataract are traumatic cataracts.

Traumatic cataracts may be difficult to remove if the trauma affected the lens zonules, or the cataract is very dense.

Capsular haze, also referred to as a secondary cataract, occurs after phacoemulsification, and is easily corrected using a YAG laser capsulotomy.

The most aggressive cataract is the Posterior Subscapular Cataract as they often cause a noticeable difference in just a matter of months.

Those particularly at risk for posterior subscapular cataracts include those who have diabetes, take steroids, and suffer from extreme nearsightedness.

Cataracts are very common as you get older.

In fact, more than half of all Americans age 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to get rid of cataracts.

Prolonged exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can enhance cataract progression.

During sunny days when you must be outside, try to wear sunglasses.

Reducing the amount of ultraviolet light that reaches your eyes will help keep cataracts at bay.

Lutein and zeaxanthin work in tandem with vitamin E to fight macular degeneration and cataracts.

These are both carotenoids that act as antioxidants to fight oxidation.

Other carotenoids include beta-carotene and lycopene.

If cataracts are left untreated, vision will decrease from mild, blurred vision to the lens becoming either completely white or a deep amber with significant blur and possible loss of vision.

Cataracts are a progressive condition which means that without treatment, your vision will get worse over time.

In the case of age-related cataracts, the condition usually progresses slowly over a number of months or years.

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