How Do Certain Drugs Such As Corticosteroids Affect My Risk Of Developing Cataracts?

Aug. 24, 2009— -- Question: How do certain drugs such as corticosteroids affect my risk of developing cataracts?

Answer: The main drug that is associated with cataract formation is in fact corticosteroids, and specifically, prednisone is the most common in this classification. After prolonged use over a long period of time at a sufficiently high dosage, typically a posterior subcapsular cataract will develop. There are other medicines that were originally thought to have increased risk of causing cataracts, such as statin medicines such as Lipitor, but this is not found to be the case.