A cataract signifies the clouding of the eye lens which naturally affects the clarity of vision. In most cases, cataracts develop slowly and may not affect eyesight very significantly. However, this condition will soon begin impacting perception and if left untreated. It may even cause blindness. In fact, almost 50% of cases of blindness worldwide is because of cataracts. It is beneficial if you can detect cataracts in the early stages. That way, adequate measures can be taken to prevent worsening of the condition. Here is a list of signs and symptoms of cataracts. If you experience any of the following, you should undergo an eye examination to check for cataracts.

1. Blurred Vision

The cloudy film that develops over the lens causes a gradual blurring of your vision. In the early stages, the impediment to eyesight is too slight to be noticeable. However, as the condition progresses, vision becomes unclear and blurred. You might describe this condition as the sensation of looking through foggy glass. Eyeglasses cannot correct this blurring of eyesight.

2. Loss of Night Vision

If you have cataracts, you tend to have difficulty seeing things in low light, especially during night time. You might be unable to see too far and too clearly, which may become severely incapacitating in advanced stages. Secondary injuries caused by your inability to see objects at night might the result of cataracts. You should enlist the help of someone when lighting is dim naturally or otherwise.

3. Sensitivity to Light

During the very early stages of cataract development, your eyes become increasingly sensitive to light. Particularly so, harsh, bright light. Any kind of glare would be difficult to tolerate and ruin activities such as driving at night, watching movies in theatres, on so on. It would be better if you could avoid such events, which challenge your eyesight.

4. Halos Around Light

The presence of the cloudy film on the lens sometimes causes diffraction of light that enters the eye. This action causes glowing halos, often in different colors, to appear when viewing sources of light. In some circumstances, this could be very distracting. You will benefit from dimming the brightness of luminescent objects. Covering bulbs with shades and tube-lights with guards, and lowering brightness levels on gadgets like computers and phones could be extremely helpful.

5. Change in Color Perception

In more advanced stages of the condition, the clumps of protein that form the cloudy film on your lens may turn yellow or brown. The light entering the eye is thus perceived differently with a slightly altered hue. In some cases, you might lose the ability to differentiate between colors; however, this sign is not widely prevalent. With corrective surgery, you can recover from this problem entirely.

6. Double Vision in One Eye

A common symptom of the early stages of cataract is a double vision in one eye. It is again diffraction of light due to the cloudy film that causes two images of the same object to appear. It is noteworthy that such double vision in one eye occurs if you have a particular type of cataract. Also, several other eye conditions cause double vision, but cataract is amongst the few which causes it only in one eye.

7. Progressive Near-Sightedness

One particular type of cataract tends to reduce distance vision but make seeing objects close at hand more easily possible. This condition occurs widely in elderly individuals. As such, you may get a false sense of your vision improving. In actuality, it is a sign of cataract, which can harm your eyesight very severely.

8. Trouble Seeing Finer Sights

Those with cataract have many problems seeing finer sights. They will not be able to pick up on nuances of contours in objects, faces, etc. For instance, you may be unable to detect the expression on another person’s face. Similarly, you might not be able to see the subtle curves or lines of ordinary objects like appliances, gadgets, and so on.

9. Constant Requirement for Brighter Lighting

It is a common tendency to require brighter lighting for undertaking routine activities if you have cataracts. For instance, you will feel the need for lamp-light or tube-light in a room having adequate natural light streaming in. For advanced stages, you might even discover natural sunlight weak and not intense-enough for your purposes.

10. Frequent Change in Eyeglasses

If you have cataracts, you may find yourself changing your eyeglasses to higher potency very frequently. You should not ignore these warning signs of such rapidly deteriorating eyesight. It may be a consequence of you having this particular condition. An eye examination should be taken to check for cataract in such circumstances.

Surgical Options for Cataracts and Astigmatism

The Basics of Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery takes about 15 minutes with a 1-2 hour period of recovery in the surgery center. During surgery, the cloudy lens is replaced with an artificial lens, which can also correct other problems like astigmatism and presbyopia. 

Patients with cataracts may be treated by a procedure called phacoemulsification. This advanced technique with state of the art technology removes the damaged lens through a small incision using an artificial lens implant.

Dr. Issa has performed over 13,500 cataract and other refractive surgeries to date. He has the experience to help you choose the right lens and ensure that your cataract surgery is comfortable, safe, and successful.