Cataract Symptoms: Signs to Lookout For
A cataract is one of the most common disorders that lead to blindness in older age.
The prevalence of Cataracts worsens with age ranging from 3.9% among 55–64 years to 92.6% among those 80 years and older.
The disorder gradually develops opaqueness in the eyes leading to complete blindness.
The symptoms occur due to protein clumps that prevent the retina from sending a clear image to the brain.
Learning about the symptoms will help early diagnosis and treatment of the disorder.
Read along to learn all the cataract symptoms and signs to look out for.
Cloudy vision
A cataract at the beginning is slow and causes blurry vision.
The blurry vision is caused due to cloudiness in the outer layer of the lens.
A cataract scatters the light as it passes through the lens.
This prevents a sharply defined image from reaching your retina.
Hence, this causes a cloudy vision which increases with age, eventually leading to opaque vision.
Faded colors
The protein deposit on the crystalline lens causes cloudiness in the vision.
This cloudiness causes color fading and blurring of the hues.
At the start of the disorder, color fading starts, which can lead to a stage where patients can’t differentiate between two colors.
Yellowing vision
Along with color fading, other cataract symptoms also include yellowing of the vision.
The protein that dies in the lens stays in the form of yellow clumps.
This causes the entering light to have a slight yellow tint.
Hence, it leads to the yellowing of the image forming on the retina.
Photophobia
Photophobia is often triggered in cataract patients.
The sensitivity to light also causes pain in the eyes.
As Cataract grows, it gradually makes it difficult for light to enter the eye.
Since light is scattered, people may experience glare and light sensitivity.
Halo around lights
The diffraction of entering light due to cloudiness in the eye causes halo formation.
People with Cataracts commonly experience halos around the light.
Double vision
Double vision, also called Diplopia, is observed in Cataract patients.
The cloudiness around the lens makes the light entering the eye refract.
This refraction light, in some cases, causes dual image formation on the retina leading to double vision.
The lens behind the pupil changes shapes as it focuses on an object to see, resulting in Diplopia.
Losing vision
The cloudiness and blurriness get severe and eventually cause vision loss in the patients.
The lens starts becoming opaque to dead protein accumulation on the eye lenses.
At the beginning of a Cataract, patients might experience frequent changes in the prescription eye lens.
The rapidly changing eyesight could indicate dense cloudiness in the lens.
Types of Cataracts and their symptoms
Depending on the eye lens area affected by a Cataract, the symptoms may vary.
Following are the symptoms from different cataract types:
Nuclear Cataract
Nuclear Cataract affects the center of the lens, which may cause nearsightedness.
Over time, the Cataract tends to become yellow and cause dense clouding in the center of the vision.
The yellow tint may worsen to brown in severe cases of Nuclear Cataracts.
Cortical Cataract
Cortical Cataract affects the edges of the eye lens.
It may initially cause white or light streaks around the outer edge of the lens.
These streaks may affect vision and can grow and extend to the center of the lens.
Posterior Subcapsular Cataract
This Cataract affects the back of the eye lens and tends to create an opaque area in the direct path of light.
This blockage may make it more difficult to read, reduce your vision under bright light, or cause glare or halos around lights at night.
The Cataract symptoms may progress more quickly with a posterior subcapsular Cataract than with other types.
Conclusion
Cataract symptoms can cause vision difficulties.
These symptoms can worsen as the Cataract grows, leading to complete vision loss.
Timely identification of the symptoms and treatment can prevent blindness.
Hence, if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the first signs of having Cataracts?
The first signs of Cataracts are cloudy, blurry, or dim vision. The protein clumps on the lens refract the light causing the symptoms like cloudy vision, double vision, or photophobia.
What age do Cataracts usually start?
Cataracts usually start in people who are 50 or older. The prevalence of Cataracts is around 2-5% in 50 years and increases to 80-90% in people aged 80 or above.
What causes double vision in Cataracts?
The opaque lens causes diffraction of light on the retina. The diffraction of light results in the formation of two incomplete images causing double vision.
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