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Side Effect: Cataracts

What is Cataracts?

Cataracts are a common eye condition characterized by a clouding of the lens of the eye, which can result in blurry or hazy vision. Cataracts can occur in one or both eyes and are typically age-related, although they can also be caused by factors such as diabetes, smoking, and prolonged exposure to sunlight.

What does Cataracts look like?

Cataracts appear as a cloudy or milky spot on the normally transparent lens of the eye. They can vary in size and location and can develop slowly over time or suddenly. Signs of cataracts can include blurring vision, sensitivity to light, double vision, feeling like you are looking through a yellow lens, and decreased night vision.

Who gets Cataracts?

Cataracts are most common in older adults, although they can occur at any age. Other risk factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, exposure to sunlight, and medical conditions such as diabetes. In rare cases (3.5%) cancer treatments such as tamoxifen and toremifene have been reported to cause cataracts.

How to prevent Cataracts

To help prevent cataracts, it is important to protect your eyes from the sun. Additionally, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of developing cataracts.

How to treat Cataracts

Treatment for cataracts involves surgery to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial lens.

References

1) Pyrhönen S, Ellmén J, Vuorinen J, et al. Meta-analysis of trials comparing toremifene with tamoxifen and factors predicting outcome of antiestrogen therapy in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 1999;56(2):133-143

Created: May 23, 2024 Updated: July 30, 2024