There are a number of different types of cataracts - and the type of symptoms you experience and the speed at which they appear will be dependent upon the type of cataract that you have. The most common type of cataract by far is the senile cataract - affecting over half of all of those over the age of 80. In fact they are so common that many people consider them simply to be all part and parcel of the aging process. And although senile cataracts develop almost exclusively in those over the age of 60, the underlying damage that eventually leads to the cataract formation usually begins decades earlier. In fact, because they often develop so slowly, you may not even realise that you have a cataract until it’s picked up during a routine eye examination.

But age isn’t the only risk factor when it comes to cataracts. Some like age you can do little about but other factors are within your control. Risk factors include:

• Being diabetic (increases your chances of developing senile cataract by about 40%)
• Having a family history of cataracts
• Being a smoker - smoking may be responsible for up to 20% of all cataracts. Men who smoke more than a pack a day increase their chances of developing by over 200%
• Having a high salt diet
• Consuming high levels of alcohol
• Being exposed to ultraviolet light
• Using certain medications such as steroids, diuretics and HRT ( although this is still the subject of debate)
• Having a history of eye trauma or eye disease

Until now the only way in which you could treat cataracts was to undergo surgery for their removal. But now there is a real alternative in the form of carnosine eye drops. Not only have these amazing cataract eye drops been proven to halt and even reverse the development of senile cataracts, they can also help to prevent the re-occurrence of the condition.