7 Of The Most Common Signs of Cataracts
Cataracts are a common eye condition that develops in many people as they age. While cataracts often start with minimal symptoms and can have little impact on your daily life in the beginning, they will worsen with time.
Eventually, even glasses and contacts might not be enough to maintain functional eyesight. Knowing the signs of cataracts is important so you can see an eye doctor for an early diagnosis and receive a treatment plan to improve your vision.
Keep reading to learn more about 7 of the most common signs of cataracts.
What Are Cataracts?
Cataracts are clumps of protein that form on the natural lens of your eye. A healthy lens is clear, but as you age, the proteins in your lens begin to break down, creating cloudy spots that impair your vision.
They often form slowly over many years before you notice any visible symptoms. At first, glasses and contacts can help improve your vision, but cataracts can get bad enough over time that you may be unable to read, drive, and more.
The Signs and Symptoms Of Cataracts
Because cataracts can impact your life in so many ways, understanding the signs and symptoms is vital. Some of these symptoms are common with other vision conditions, so it’s essential to schedule an eye exam with your eye doctor at Complete EyeCare West to ensure you receive an accurate diagnosis if you begin experiencing things like:
1. Cloudy or Blurry Vision
The most common symptom of cataracts is cloudy or blurry vision. With cataracts specifically, patients describe it’s like looking at everything through a foggy window.
At first, you may only notice cloudy spots in some parts of your vision, but you’ll likely find the clouded area gets bigger as the cataracts develop. This can make it difficult to do everything, from reading to driving to watching your favorite shows.
2. Light Sensitivity
Cataracts impact the way light passes through your eye. This can lead to side effects like light sensitivity and glare.
You may have a more challenging time being in bright lights or outside in the sun.
3. Issues Seeing At Night
With cloudy, blurry patches in your vision that continue to grow, it’s no surprise that it’s more difficult to see at night. Reduced night vision can make it much harder to do things like drive, impacting your freedom and safety.
4.Halos Around Lights
You might find that lights have a halo effect if you have cataracts. This means that the lights don’t look as clear, and your vision perceives the light as moving out further than it actually does.
This side effect of cataracts can also make it harder to see and drive at night, as it can make oncoming headlights and streetlamps confusing and disorienting.
5. Fading or Yellowing Colors
Another symptom of cataracts many people don’t know about is fading or yellowing of colors. As cataracts develop, you may find that everything in your vision looks slightly off.
Colors that used to look vibrant now appear to be fading or dull. You may also find that everything looks more yellow than it used to.
While this symptom may not prevent you from doing things like reading or driving, it can be frustrating as you will not perceive the world as well as you used to. It can make moments like reaching the view after a long hike or watching a new movie in theaters duller and less rewarding.
6. Double Vision In One Eye
You should also be on the lookout for double vision in just one eye. With double vision, you’ll see two versions of the same object when there is only one.
This is more common when you only have cataracts in one eye. Double vision can make many activities dangerous, such as cooking, walking, or driving because your perception of the world around you will be distorted.
7. Frequent Changes To Your Prescription
Have you noticed that you need to change your prescription for your glasses and contacts a lot more than you used to? In many cases, this can be a sign of cataracts.
As the cataracts get worse, they make it harder to see clearly. So, you’ll need to increase your prescription regularly to maintain functional vision.
This can be frustrating, as new glasses and contacts can start to add up and cost you extra money.
How are Cataracts Treated?
If you have been diagnosed with cataracts but can still carry out everyday activities or use visual aids to improve your vision, you may not need cataract surgery immediately. However, if your cataracts have developed to the point where they affect your ability to read, drive, or socialize, it is time to consider cataract surgery.
With cataract surgery, you can permanently remove your cataracts for improved eyesight and increased visual freedom. In a quick and minimally invasive procedure, your cataract surgeon at Complete EyeCare West will remove your cataract-affected natural lens and replace it with an intraocular lens, or IOL.
IOLs cannot develop cataracts, meaning once you undergo cataract surgery, you’ll never have to worry about them impacting your vision again. If you choose a premium IOL, you may even achieve better vision than you ever had before.
They allow you to enjoy crystal-clear vision across multiple distances and reduce your dependence on glasses and contacts. Complete EyeCare West offers toric, bifocal, and extended depth of focus (EDOF) premium IOLs.
Imagine how much better watching the leaves change color in the autumn will be without faded vision from cataracts, or how much better you’ll be out on the pickleball court with your new premium IOL. If you’re experiencing symptoms of cataracts, you shouldn’t wait to find out whether you’re ready for cataract surgery.
Schedule a cataract screening at Complete EyeCare West in Colombus, OH, today to get started on your journey to clearer vision!
