Are cataracts a disease of old men? Not really. Old age is just one of many factors that can cause this pathology. Trauma, genetic predisposition to early cataract development, inflammatory eye disease, eye damage from radiation, diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism. And this is just a short list. Recall that the cataract itself is a clouding of the lens of the eye. For this reason, the picture received by the brain becomes cloudy.