With aging comes eye problems and one of the most common age-related eye problems is a cataract. It is characterized by clouding of the lens inside the eyes. At first, it causes symptoms such as blurry vision and glare but as it progresses without intervention, it can lead to blindness. There are many possible causes for cataracts, but the most obvious are old age, vitamin deficiency, eye trauma, eye-related disease, and exposure to ultraviolet rays for a long period of time.
It is important to know the signs and symptoms of cataracts so you can address it with your optometrist or ophthalmologist. Cataracts can take many years to develop, so the onset of a cataract does not necessarily mean you need surgery immediately. However, many people tend to disregard mild symptoms until the condition gets severe. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to know how to detect early symptoms of cataracts.
Symptoms are as follows:
- Mild clouding on the lens may cause visual discomfort – blurry vision and glare
- Advanced cataracts can obstruct light that passes through the lens, leading to significant blurring of vision
- The vision gets dim, especially at nighttime
- You may have a hard time seeing at night
- You can experience a doubling of vision (diplopia)
- Your eyes may get very sensitive to light causing glare
- You may notice haloes around lights
- You can experience changes in color saturation
- You may see colors that tend to look pale or faded. For instance, whites can appear beige.
- You may have frequent changes in prescription glasses or contact lens
What to keep in mind?
The symptoms of a cataract most often do not appear immediately. It usually takes years to develop. It is painless and begins usually in one eye. When cataracts involve both eyes is when you are most likely to notice it affecting daily life. As it starts to worsen, the symptoms may justify cataract surgery. Consult your eye physician and eye surgeons.
