Cataract Symptoms

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that interferes with vision. It blocks and scatters light passing through your eye. Cataract symptoms can vary based on injury, age and certain eye diseases.

Because cataracts develop slowly, you may be unaware of the symptoms and vision loss at first. As they grow bigger, they will begin to cloud more of your eye’s lens and impair your vision more. At some point a cataract surgery will be your best option for restoring clear vision.

If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with cataracts, you are likely familiar with the many issues that go along with having them.

Cataract surgery
  • Blurred vision
  • Difficulty with glare
  • Double vision
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Gradual loss of color perception
  • Gradual loss of vision
  • White or “milky” area over the pupil in severe cataracts

As many as 21 million adults in the United States are cataract sufferers. Some babies have cataracts at birth but most often they develop later in life, in the 60s or 70s or later.

How Cataracts Affect Daily Life

Having cataracts is sometimes compared to looking through a dirty camera lens or the murky windshield of a car. Please see our Simulation of vision deterioration caused by cataracts.

When vision is impaired in this way, day-to-day functioning may become difficult.

Cataract surgery
  • Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions become necessary
  • Poor night vision or halos around headlights make driving at night dangerous
  • The need for brighter light to read or do other activities can increase
  • Light from the sun can seem too bright, making outdoor activities uncomfortable
  • Lamps and other light sources may cause temporary vision distortion
  • Eyestrain and blinking to clear vision become frequent

Cataracts develop slowly and typically do not cause pain unless they become greatly advanced. Cataract surgery is one of the most safe and successful procedures in all of medicine. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned here or if your problem has progressed to sudden or painful changes in your vision, we invite you to contact us for a qualified cataract surgeon in your area.