Prescription Medication That Can Cause Cataracts

Cataracts are a clouding of the lenses in your eyes, which make it seem like you're behind a smokescreen. The cloud comes from a buildup of protein on your lens. Cataracts generally develop evenly in both eyes at the same time. Doctors don't know exactly what causes cataracts, but a number of risk factors play a role in whether cataracts will develop in your eyes. One of those risk factors is as simple as the prescription medication you take.

Steroids

• One of the prescription medications with a high risk of causing cataracts is steroids. Prescription steroids are commonly prescribed as anti-inflammatory drugs, sometimes long term, for autoimmune diseases like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or lupus. A 1960 study published in the Journal of the America Medical Association showed 75 percent of adults who took 15 milligrams or more per day of the prescription steroid prednisone for more than a year developed cataracts. The higher the dosage of the prescription steroid medication and the longer patients took it, the more likely they were to develop cataracts.

Antibiotics

• Many antibiotics make your eyes more sensitive to light, which may be reason enough to link cataract risk to them. Sulfa antibiotics in particular show some indication they may contribute to the development of cataracts, although more research is needed in this area to confirm researchers' theories.

  Oral antibiotics aren't the only kind shown to cause cataracts. Even inhaled antibiotics, like the ones used to treat asthma, may cause cataracts.

Psoralens

• Doctors prescribe psoralens and other similar drugs to patients who suffer from skin diseases like psoriasis. Psoralens is generally prescribed with light therapy. Large amounts of light exposure, especially ultraviolet light, are known to cause cataracts, so it's possible the combination of psoralens and light therapy is what causes an increased risk of cataracts.

Tranquilizers

• The medications your doctor prescribes could end up clouding your vision.

  A number of studies show prescription tranquilizers to be a major risk factor for cataracts. One study conducted in North Carolina specifically links tranquilizer use and exposure to sunlight. Researchers believe photosensitivity caused by tranquilizers may contribute to cataracts.

Antipsychotic drugs

• Some antipsychotic drugs also raise your risk for cataracts, especially Thorazine. Doctors prescribe Thorazine for sedation occasionally, but more often for diseases like schizophrenia. Researchers are not clear about why some antipsychotic drugs seem to raise the risk of cataracts, indicating that more research is necessary.