Cataracts are leading cause of blindness

CHICAGO, May 27 (UPI) -- Approximately 70 percent of people have cataracts -- the leading cause of blindness in the world -- by age 75 a U.S. non-profit group says.

Hugh R. Parry, president of Prevent Blindness America, said there are more cases of cataract than there are of glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy combined.

Cataract affects more than 22 million U.S. adults age 40 and older but as the U.S. population ages, more than 30.1 million Americans are projected to have cataracts by 2020, Parry said.

Cataract, the clouding of the eye's lens which blocks or changes the passage of light into the eye, makes vision blurry or dim because the cataract stops light from properly passing through to the retina.

Risk factors for developing cataract include a family history of cataract, diabetes, smoking, extended exposure to ultraviolet rays, serious eye injury and the use of steroids.

"We encourage everyone, especially those ages 40 and over, to get a dilated, baseline eye exam from their eye care professional," Parry said in a statement.

Generally, a cataract does not cause pain, redness or tears, but the following symptoms may indicate a cataract:

-- Blurred vision, double vision, ghost images, or the sense of a "film" over the eyes.

-- Lights seem too dim for reading or close-up work, or eyes are "dazzled" by strong light.

-- Eyeglass prescriptions change often and the change does not seem to help.

-- Double vision in one eye.

-- A milky or yellowish spot develops in the pupil.