If yourvision has turned hazy for no apparent reason, cataracts might be to blame.Cataracts are a problem usually associated with the elderly, but certainconditions can cause them at any age. If you have any of the contributingfactors listed below, talk with your doctor about ways to minimize your risk ofdeveloping cataracts.

Cataractsare formed when proteins in the eye's crystalline lens, located behind the irisand pupil, clump together. This can happen as a result of age or a breakdown ofthe proteins themselves. While the exact cause of the irregular proteinclusters is still unknown, doctors and scientists have pinpointed a few commoncharacteristics of patients with cataracts.

Directexposure to ultraviolet rays has been associated with cataracts. Expertsrecommend wearing dark, protective glasses or otherwise shielding your eyesfrom the sun. Pilots and astronauts are exposed to cosmic radiation, which hasbeen linked to the formation of nuclear cataracts. Furthermore, studies havesuggested that lead exposure puts people at a greater risk for cataracts.

Drugs,diet, and disease can also affect one's chances of getting cataracts. Certainmedications like steroids, diuretics, and tranquilizers are being studied tosee what link, if any, they have to cataract development. Diabetes has longbeen thought to increase one's chances of developing cortical and subcapsularcataracts. And doctors have even theorized that a diet too high in salt canspeed someone down the path of cataract formation.

Smoking andalcohol consumption are other possible culprits. Pollution also does its part;being in smoky or smoggy environments can accelerate the breakdown of theproteins in the eye's lenses. This leads to the abnormal clusters of proteinsthat cloud the lenses and produce cataracts.