Am I Displaying Early Warning Signs of Cataracts

A cataract is an eye condition that can cause visual impairment. It starts from hardening of the lens, dull color perception, blurry vision, and difficulty seeing at night. It just gets worse over time until surgery is the only remaining viable option. It is important that you know the stages of cataracts and how to treat symptoms early. It is better when it is caught early.

Here are a few early cataracts warning signs that you should look out for:

1.   Cloudy Vision

The first sign of cataract is a cloudy vision. It starts with a localized blurred spot and gradually starts increasing. It will have little effect on your vision but slowly you will start seeing a cloudy glass piece in the eyes. As the cataract starts to develop more, your vision gets more blurred. But blurred vision can be a symptom of other diseases like Glaucoma. So, you need to consult your optometrist immediately if you start witnessing this symptom.

2.   Decreased color perception

As your eyes start to get clouded, colors will start getting muddy and less vibrant over time. Whites will appear as yellow. But this chance is so slow and occurs at a gradual pace that you won’t be able to notice this until after the surgical procedure has been done. As the cataract develops, all the colors start fading and get a bit yellow. After the surgery, improved color perception is one of the more significant marked improvements.

3.   Sensitivity to light

Slowly you will start noticing that you are getting more uncomfortable, bothered and cringed by the level of light with which you were comfortable before. All the sources of light like headlights, lamps, and the sun will become your enemy. This symptom is very common as cataracts can scatter the light that enters the eye. Light will not have a clear path to the eye’s back and soon it will be very difficult for the patient to see clearly.

4.   Difficult in driving at night

A person suffering from cataract has difficulty in balancing the contrast between the bright lights and the darkness. Due to the light coming from the oncoming traffic, the affected person will have trouble driving at night. If street lamps and headlights are giving you a headache, then it might be time to visit your optometrist. Till you get an appointment, make sure that you get a cab or get someone to drive you to places.

5.   Trouble reading

If you are having trouble reading small letters and your glasses are not working, cataract might be the cause behind it. Your Cornea behaves much like the front lens element of a lens. It focuses the light onto the retina and helps you see things that are close and far away clearly. This lens is made of protein and water and the protein is in such a way so that the light can pass through it. Cataracts cause this protein to get together making it difficult for the eye to see small print. It looks like there is a film presentation in front of your eyes.

6.   Double vision

Also known as Diplopia, double vision is another early sign of cataracts. It is not caused due to the improper alignment of the eyes. You will have double vision even if you look through one eye. A cataract begins with a small, not so noticeable cloudiness in the eye that affects a small part of the lens. But as it grows, the lens starts to get more clouded and the light that passes through it gets distorted. You can even get double vision in a single eye that has a cataract.

7.   Frequent changes in eyeglass

When the cataract starts to develop, there will be a temporary improvement in near vision. If you need reading glasses before, you might not need them now. However, this will end soon. This shows that your eye lenses are becoming denser than normal.

You need to consult a doctor who will perform high illumination and high magnification exam to check if you have a cataract or your eyesight just naturally improved.