Nicole Richie’s fiance, Joel Madden, who turns 29 next week, could be wearing sunglasses at night because he’s a celebrity rock star, but he is said to have a real medical reason for protecting his eyes. According to Star Magazine, Joel has cataracts:

“Joel suffers from cataracts,” a source tells Star. “He has a problem with bright lights. That’s why Joel wears his shades absolutely everywhere – even indoors.” Joel’s eyes swell up when exposed to bright lights, he told a pal.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, March 10, 2008]

Cataracts are when part of the lens of the eye becomes clouded. It initially can cause blurred vision, near-sightedness and a loss of the perception of shades of blue, and can lead to blindness if not treated properly.

I thought that cataracts primarily affected older people. According to Wikipedia, genetics and a family history of cataracts can make someone vulnerable to developing them at a younger age. Exposure to radiation, such as microwave and infrared radiation, can also cause cataracts, and they have been found in higher rates among professions where people are exposed to radiation such as in pilots and glassblowers. (Pilots are thought to be exposed to radiation from outer space, according to Wikipedia.) It’s possible that as a musician Madden is exposed to electromagnetic radiation from the sound equipment, but this is pure speculation and while I can read up on it I can’t claim to understand much of it. Medical conditions and certain medications can also cause a predisposition to cataracts.

We don’t know what kind of cataracts Madden has or how severe his condition is. The typical treatment is surgery in which the lens of the eye is replaced with a plastic lens, but it is usually reserved until it is necessary, and prevention such as wearing sunglasses is recommended in the interim. Surgery is successful in 9 out of 10 cases.

We’ll have to see if this story is true, though. I looked through photos of Joel, and even recently he’s shown on the red carpet without sunglasses. His eyes also look fine. Maybe he has a mild case or this account is b.s.

He’s seen on 2/8/08 at PRIVE Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood, where he was DJing that night, thanks to PRPhotos.