Aaron Barriga
A cataract is a health problem that affects the lens of the eye, and a major reason why people end up losing their eyesight after they hit 40. Due to age, medical conditions and unhealthy habits like smoking, the protein in the eye gets clouded and begins to distort images. If left untreated, complete blindness may eventually occur.
Here are the top 10 symptoms to look out for:
One symptom is color change (typically brown or yellow) in one or both eyes, with a “milky” color in prominent cases. Proteins clotting in your eye cause lens clouding, which may also cause a yellowish tinge in vision, and eventually even an inability to differentiate between light and dark.
When you cannot look at light or your eyes respond poorly to light exposure, this might signal a developing cataract. This sensitivity may occur in the presence of lamps or in sunlight, and is easier to identify if you’ve never had a problem before.
Cloudiness might not be very prevalent at first, starting in one corner before it eventually begins to expand and become noticeable. As the cataract grows, vision will also begin to get distorted. Sometimes, there may actually be a brief improvement in vision, so make sure to get a checkup.
If have to frequently increase the strength or power of lenses/glasses, get checked for a cataract. Rapid changes in vision are often caused by cataract growth, and might eventually make it difficult to even conduct regular tasks.
Possible causes of double vision include brain injury, hypertension and diabetes, but this could also be a symptom of a cataract. Get your eyes tested if you’re seeing double, because a cataract could be growing rapidly.
An obvious sign of a cataract and probably the worst, clouded, double or hazy vision makes it difficult to focus on one thing for long. This makes it difficult to drive safely, especially at night, and might also cause increased sensitivity to light reflected off other cars.
This is another very annoying symptom, causing “halos” surrounding your vision. Glares in vision can be immensely painful and make it difficult to walk out in the light. You may have to keep your eyes covered or wear shades to avoid any contact with light.
When a cataract is growing, you might have trouble identifying colors. People often think that color blindness is because of a cataract, but this is only partly true. A cataract confuses the way the eye sees colors, but does not lead to color blindness.
When a cataract is growing, it sometimes forms a thin film-like covering on top of the pupil. This is transparent layer constantly covers the eyes, distorting images. It’s difficult to identify but has a very vivid and uncomfortable impact on your sight.
If it’s easier to look at things when they are nearby, this could be a symptom of a cataract causing temporarily nearsightedness, which may change as the cataract advances.
Aaron Barriga aspired to become an Eye Doctor when he was younger, but his fantastic knack for understanding people and his outgoing personality led him into the field of Marketing. Working at Insi...
