Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness around the world, with millions of patients gradually losing their eyesight to this common condition. However, with early detection and proper treatment, you can restore your vision and enjoy relief from cataract symptoms.
Keep reading to learn more about the top 7 signs you might have cataracts so you know when it’s time to seek care.
What are Cataracts?
Cataracts are an eye condition that often occurs due to aging when the proteins within the natural lens of your eye begin to break down and form clumps. While symptoms can take a long time to appear and vary from person to person, common signs of cataracts include:
1. Cloudy or Blurry Vision
Blurred or cloudy vision is one of the most common signs of a cataract. With cataracts, clumps formed by the breakdown of eye proteins cloud your natural lens.
This blocks and scatters light entering your eye, causing cloudy, blurry vision. Many cataract patients describe their vision as if they’re looking through a dirty, fogged-up window.
2. Seeing Halos
Beyond cloudy or blurred vision, cataracts can also cause halos. Halos are bright circles around light sources such as streetlights, especially at night.
They can occur when a cloudy lens diffracts incoming light, producing a ring-like effect around lights.
3. Sensitivity to Light and Glare
If bright sources of light, such as headlights from oncoming vehicles, sunlight, or overhead lights, feel too harsh, making it uncomfortable or even painful to keep your eyes open, you may have cataracts. A cataract scatters incoming light instead of focusing it precisely on the retina, causing sensitivity to light and glare.
The sensitivity can make it increasingly challenging to tolerate bright lighting. As a result, you may find yourself squinting or looking away when exposed to bright lights.
4. Colors Look Faded or Yellow
Cataracts can distort your color perception, causing colors to look dull or faded. As they progress, they may turn yellow and pass this hue onto incoming light.
This can give your vision a distinct yellowish or brown tint. With colors looking muted and yellow, it may become difficult to tell darker shades apart, such as browns, blues, and purples.
5. Frequent Prescription Changes
It’s normal for your prescription to change from year to year. But if your eyesight changes more often, it could indicate cataracts.
As cataracts progress, vision tends to worsen, so you may need newer and stronger prescriptions more frequently.
6. Double Vision in One Eye
Cataracts can also cause double vision in one eye. This happens when the cataract scatters incoming light, creating images of the same object on your retina.
With double vision, you may see two or more images of the same object whenever you look at anything. This can be very disorienting and affect your day-to-day life.
7. Trouble Seeing at Night
It can become difficult to see at night due to blurry vision, halos, glare, double vision, and decreased color vision. These symptoms of cataracts are usually more apparent at night, especially when driving.
Blurred or double vision can make reading street signs and seeing obstacles and others on the road hard. Blinding glare from oncoming headlights and halos around streetlights may also prevent you from seeing clearly.
Additionally, a decline in color vision can keep you from interpreting traffic lights correctly. All these cataract symptoms can significantly impair your vision, making it quite dangerous to drive at night.
When to See Your Eye Doctor about Cataracts
If you are experiencing any of these common cataract symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with your eye doctor at VisionFirst Eye Center. They will perform a comprehensive eye exam to arrive at a proper diagnosis and recommend a treatment plan to improve your vision.
Do you have signs of cataracts? Schedule an appointment at VisionFirst Eye Center in Birmingham, AL, today!
