Cataracts: The Causes And Symptoms

High Blood Pressure

Prolonged high blood pressure has the potential to cause the development of cataracts in an individual's eye lens. There are two different mechanisms that can make a contribution to this cause. Anti-hypertension medications are known to cause a disruption in the healthy electrolyte balance across the membrane that covers an individual's lens fibers. Additionally, another type of medicine commonly used to treat individuals affected by high blood pressure called beta blockers can increase levels of a molecule that stimulates changes in the lens proteins. These protein alterations can cause the formation of clumps in the lens, or cataracts. The other mechanism by which high blood pressure can cause the formation of cataracts is due to the intense systemic inflammation that it causes. This type of widespread inflammation is an immune system reaction to the damage high blood pressure is inflicting on blood vessels around the body. Because there are many blood vessels in and around the eyes, concentrated inflammation can occur in that region. This inflammation causes an increase in the levels of C-reactive protein that can induce alterations in the structural arrangement of tissues in the eye lens. These changes are known to stimulate the development of cataracts or clumps of cloudy tissue in the lens.

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