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What are cataracts, how are they caused, and what can be done to prevent them?

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1. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye that can impair vision. More than half of all Americans age 65 and older have cataracts in their eyes. What Causes Cataracts? The eye functions much like a camera. Light rays enter through the front of the eye, passing through the cornea, the pupil, and the aqueous humor -- transparent fluid in the front of the eye -- onto the lens. The lens then bends light rays to focus objects onto the retina in the back of the eye. From there, the retina, the optic nerve, and the brain process the images and form vision. Cataracts occur when there is a buildup of protein in the lens that makes it cloudy. This prevents light from passing through a normally clear lens, causing some loss of vision. No one knows what causes the buildup of protein responsible for clouding the lens. The cataract is a lens that has become clouded. Can Cataracts Be Prevented? Because the exact cause of cataracts is uncertain, there is no proven method of preventing them. Because they are so common in older adults, however, it's important to have your eyes examined on a regular basis. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, people aged 40 to 64 should have a comprehensive eye examination every two to four years; people 65 and older should have a comprehensive eye examination every one to two years. People with a history of eye problems or other medical conditions that increase the risk of eye disease --such as diabetes-- should have eye exams more frequently (once a year or as recommended by your doctor).
2. cataract is an eye disease caused by ultravoilet rays n d only protection for it is to wear sunglasses n not to go out in areas where there is an ozone hole.
3. Cataracts are when the (normally transparent) lens of your eye becomes opaque. This can happen due to a number of factors, including cell disintegration and protein aggregation and precipitation. The most common causes for cataract include diabetes (where high blood-glucose causes glucose to enter the lens in higher-than-normal concentrations, and to cause protein precipitation), UV-related damage to the cells and proteins, calcium-regulation disorders (where the high Ca2+ enters the lens and causes protein precipitation), genetic defects, simple physical damage to the lens, and more. The single most common cause, however, is simple age: as the lens ages, like many organs it becomes less able to "do its job" (biochemically-speaking), and cataract is one effect of this. Other hypothesised factors include dietary factors, malnutrition, kidney failure, alcohol and drug abuse, etc. With this large range of possible and known causative factors for cataract, it is very difficult to *prevent* them - but luckily, cataract is highly *treatable*, by a procedure called "extracapsular lens extraction with implantation of an artificial intraocular lens": basically, the surgeon cuts a hole in the lens capsule, and "scoops" out the defective interior of the lens, leaving a "bag" of the lens capsule, and replaces it with an artificial lens interior (usually made of plastic). This is actually the most common surgical procedure performed in the world. Sadly, up to 50% of patients experience what is called "secondary cataract", which is where the (few) remaining cells in the treated lens start to divide uncontrollably, and they rapidly fill the lens capsule up again, causing re-opacificiation. This usually requires another operation to correct. Research is ongoing to find improved ways of performing the initial surgery, or to prevent cell proliferation in the lens post-surgery.