Spotting Common Cataract Symptoms

Cataracts are a common age-related eye condition that causes the natural lens of the eye to become cloudy, leading to blurred vision and increasing difficulty with everyday tasks. They’re one of the most frequent causes of visual impairment in the UK, but fortunately, cataract surgery is highly effective at restoring sight.

If you’re wondering how to tell if you are getting cataracts, this guide covers the early signs and symptoms of cataracts, how the condition progresses, and when to seek help.

What Do Cataracts Look Like?

Cataracts develop when the normally clear lens inside the eye becomes clouded or opaque. You can’t usually see cataracts in your own eye, but a healthcare professional might notice a browning, black spokes or a milky appearance during an eye exam. In advanced stages, this clouding may even be visible in the pupil, appearing as white cataract.

But for most people, the first signs of a cataract are felt, not seen, through subtle but progressive changes in how you experience the world around you.

Early Signs and Common Symptoms of Cataracts

Cataracts are a common eye condition that typically develops slowly over time, although the speed at which they progress can vary from person to person. While the exact symptoms experienced by individuals can differ, there are some associated with cataracts that are generally universal.

Some early symptoms of cataracts may include:

Experiencing Glares and Halos

Cataracts can cause light to scatter as it enters the eye, leading to increased sensitivity to bright lights. You may see glare from sunlight, car headlights or streetlamps, or halos around lights – particularly noticeable when driving at night.

Blurred or Cloudy Vision

One of the earliest and most recognisable symptoms of cataracts is blurred or cloudy vision. Many people describe it as looking through a foggy or frosted window, where details appear hazy and colours lose their brightness. This happens because the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy over time, scattering light instead of focusing it clearly on the retina.

Cataracts primarily affect vision clarity by gradually clouding the lens, which sits just behind the iris (the coloured part of the eye). As the condition progresses, this cloudiness thickens, blocking more light and causing your sight to become increasingly blurred.

The experience of blurred vision can vary depending on the stage of cataract development:

Early Stages

In the early stages, blurred vision may be mild and may not significantly interfere with daily activities. Some people describe it as similar to looking through a smudged or dirty window. At this point, many patients are unaware they have cataracts and may assume the changes in their vision are simply due to ageing.

Intermediate Stages

As the cataract develops further, the clouding becomes more pronounced, leading to progressively blurred vision. It’s often compared to looking through frosted or fogged-up glass, with colours appearing dull or faded. This is typically when people begin to seek professional help, as reading, driving, or seeing fine detail becomes noticeably harder.

Advanced Stages

In more advanced cases, the cloudiness can be extensive, and vision becomes severely impaired. Everyday activities like reading, recognising faces, or driving can become extremely difficult. During an eye examination, a specialist may even see a milky opaque appearance in the lens, confirming the cataract’s progression.

Blurred vision from cataracts usually develops gradually, and because both eyes can be affected at different rates, it may take time to notice the change. Regular eye examinations are key to detecting cataracts early and maintaining clear, healthy vision.

Fading or Yellowing of Colours

You might notice that colours appear less vivid or have a yellowish tinge. Whites may appear cream or beige, and distinguishing between similar shades becomes harder. This symptom is often subtle but can impact confidence in tasks like choosing clothes or reading coloured text.

Difficulty with Night Vision

Difficulty with night vision is a common issue for people with cataracts. Cataracts cloud the eye’s lens, reducing light transmission and causing glare from oncoming headlights and streetlights. This glare can be blinding, making it challenging to see the road and surrounding objects. Cataracts also impair contrast sensitivity, making it harder to distinguish objects in varying lighting conditions.

Driving at night with symptomatic cataracts is dangerous due to:

• Reduced Visibility: Cataracts limit the amount of light entering the eye, making it hard to see clearly in low-light conditions.
• Increased Glare: Glare from headlights and lights can be blinding, temporarily impairing vision.
• Slower Reaction Time: Reduced visibility and impaired night vision lead to slower reaction times, increasing the risk of accidents.
• Accident Risk: The combination of these factors elevates the risk of accidents, especially in night-time driving.

Frequent Prescription Changes

If your glasses or contact lens prescription keeps changing, it could be a sign of progressing cataracts. As the lens becomes cloudier, and thicker it alters how light is focused in the eye, often leading to more frequent updates to your vision correction.

Advanced Cataract Symptoms

As the cataract becomes denser, the symptoms become more severe. These may include:

• Significant vision loss or poor visual acuity
• Double vision (diplopia) in one eye
• Impaired depth perception
• Difficulty recognising faces or reading text
• Reduced peripheral (side) vision
• Eye strain or fatigue after short periods of reading or screen time
• Glare and Haloes and difficulty seeing in low light conditions

In later stages, cataracts can seriously affect your ability to work, drive, enjoy hobbies, or perform routine tasks. Left untreated, they may eventually lead to legal blindness.

Can Cataract Symptoms Come and Go?

Cataract symptoms typically do not come and go. They usually develop gradually and persist as the cataract progresses. Cataracts are characterised by the clouding or opacity of the eye’s natural lens, and this cloudiness is not a reversible condition without surgery. As the cataract becomes denser or larger, it causes more significant vision impairment. However, the experience of cataract symptoms may vary in different lighting conditions or depending on the specific visual tasks individuals are performing.

You’re in Safe Hands: Meet Our Cataract Surgeons

At Optegra, we are cataract surgery specialists. Our range of nationwide eye hospitals is equipped with the latest technology set within 5-star facilities to ensure your treatment is comfortable from start to finish. Our renowned cataract surgeons are NHS-trained and Fellows of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO). You are in the best possible hands!

We offer a range of treatments to help remove your cataracts restoring clear vision and confidence. If you’re an NHS patient, you can request a referral to have your cataract treated at your local Optegra eye hospital. We also have enhanced and advanced cataract surgery treatment options for those who would like to reduce their reliance on glasses while having their cataract removed.

Contact us today for more information on how we can help.