Vitamin C and Cataracts

There is no definitive cause known for cataracts. Cataracts are a clouding of the eye lens, caused by proteins in the eye clumping together over time. Injury, diabetes and (some research says) stress can all trigger cataracts, yet for one in four people cataracts are simply a natural part of the aging process.


As preventative measures against cataract development, doctors, ophthalmologists and researchers have told us to eat foods high in antioxidants, avoid smoking and control blood sugar – essentially controlling and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For many women, eating right involves a combination of diet and vitamin supplements. However women may need to rethink following an article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stemming from research by the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, which suggests taking Vitamin C supplements to balance a healthy diet could actually increase the risk of cataract development.

According to the study, conducted over 8 years with almost 25,000 participants, regular supplements of the recommended 1000 milligrams dose of vitamin C increased the chance of cataract development by 25%.

The results seem to suggest that vitamin C consumed through food poses no risk; nor incidentally does additional vitamin C in a multivitamin tablet. The risk of cataracts increased among those women who were over the age of 65 and took vitamin C as a supplement on its own, or had regularly supplemented their diets with vitamin c tablets for 10 years or more.

More conclusive research is needed to prove the study before guidelines are changed but women over the age of 65 and women prescribed hormone replacement drugs are advised to talk to their opthalmologist or doctor for advice on vitamin supplements and in particular vitamin C as a lone supplement.