Cataracts are a common age-related eye condition. Over time, the natural lens of the eye becomes opaque, leading to a gradual deterioration of vision. Eventually, they interfere with your ability to see clearly or read, drive, or recognize people’s faces. This article will explain how cataracts develop, how they affect vision, and how they can be managed. By reading this article, you will learn some valuable facts about how cataracts impact vision over time.
Gradual Clouding of Vision
Gradual clouding of vision, sometimes beginning with some slight changes that can easily pass unnoticed, is one of the classic cataract symptoms. It may feel like you’re looking through a fogged-up window, with everything appearing slightly blurry. This happens because the lenses of the eye become cloudy due to proteins of the lens starting to clump together.
As cataracts progress, activities like reading, driving, and recognizing the faces of loved ones become more challenging. As the cataract progresses and this clouding increases, everything becomes more difficult. It can impact your near and far vision and, therefore, your ability to perform everyday tasks. This condition is becoming more and more common and slowly affecting your quality of life, so early detection and treatment are crucial to ensure you maintain your visual health.
Increased Sensitivity to Light
The major sign of cataracts is photophobia or sensitivity to light. You may find bright lights like a patch of sun in the sky or headlights flashing by you, which may be just too much for you. When there are lights (or bright lights), that cloudy lens scatters the light that comes into the eye, giving you glare and light halos. As cataracts worsen, seeing in the dark becomes more difficult, especially when driving at night. Cataracts also reduce your ability to see in dim light and need additional work on your vision.
Fading or Yellowing of Colors
A cataract tends to become cloudy (not surprisingly) and often causes a slight fading or yellowing of vision over time because the light passing through a cloudy lens is distorted and filtered. This happens simply over time: Everything gets dull, washed out, and less vivid. Furthermore, you can also notice a small, faint yellow hue to your area that will make it harder to see when it’s the true hue since it’s not all that different from other colors like it. Initially, these changes are slight, but with time, the cataract continues to grow, and distortion to color begins to distort your perception of everyday objects and your day-to-day environments.
Difficulty with Night Vision
Cataracts get worse with time, and as they do, night vision gets worse until the person has difficulty reading in low light or walking in poorly lit areas. There’s a chance you’ll discover, however, that objects seem more dim and that it becomes more difficult to discern the details. But the cataract scatters incoming light, so the light spreads unevenly across the retina. Halos may also form around bright lights, making your vision even more difficult.
These problems not only detract from your confidence in performing at night, but they can also prove to be extremely hazardous when operating a vehicle or even just crossing the street. Untreated cataracts can progress to a level that very severely limits your independence in low-light conditions.
Frequent Changes in Prescription
The frequency and cost of prescription changes get frustrating and expensive as cataracts continue to develop. Adjusting your lenses stronger doesn’t provide direct relief; you may end up having to adjust them more often. Changes in your vision can also cause increased difficulty doing everyday tasks, such as reading, driving, or using digital devices, even with new prescriptions.
As time goes by, the cataract may destroy your vision to such a degree that corrective lenses simply can’t help anymore. Nowadays, many people believe that the most effective method of treating cataracts is cataract surgery, which allows them to regain clear and stable vision, but for a longer period.
Conclusion
Cataracts disturb your vision a little at a time, from any cloudiness to glare, color distortion, and trouble seeing in the dark. With time, these changes can prevent you from doing your everyday tasks, such as reading, driving, or identifying colors. Since cataracts impair vision, early recognition of its symptoms and treatment of it becomes necessary. If left untreated, cataracts can severely impair your vision, making cataract surgery essential for restoring clarity.
