Cataract Signs and Symptoms - What is the First Sign of Cataract?

A cataract is the clouding of the lens of your eyes. Most cataracts develop slowly over time. Sometimes cataract can be present since birth. They can also result from increasing age, excessive exposure to sunlight, obesity, smoking, previous injury or other medical conditions like glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

Cataract affect your vision gradually. At the onset, bright lighting and powerful glasses help in clearing the vision. But as the cataract advances, surgery is the choice of treatment. Cataract surgery is a safe procedure that is done on an outpatient basis.

Cataract can be formed in one or both eyes. Their progression also differs in each eye. Cataract signs and symptoms vary in both eyes, and as it develops, the lens's clouding (a biconvex structure in the eye that helps focus the light so that you can see) increases.

It is important to detect the early signs of cataract and treat them because if these cataract become large, they can cause vision impairment. This can lead to vision loss and even total blindness. 

In the early stages, cataract do not usually cause any symptoms. As they advance and the clouding of the lens intensifies, you may start observing early signs of cataracts 

1. Blurry Vision: This is one of the early cataract signs and symptoms. You may feel like you are looking through a haze at all times. Rubbing your eyes or splashing water on your eyes does not provide relief either. 
2. Fear of Glare: Sensitivity to light is another prominent feature in the list of cataract signs and symptoms. Looking into bright and colourful lights at night or stepping out into broad daylight can cause pain in the eyes. Using your laptops and mobile phones for a long time could also use strain due to the bright light reflected from the devices. Driving at night, especially with the bright headlights from the oncoming vehicles, is next to impossible if you have cataract.
3. Prescription Glasses: A sudden onset of nearsightedness, where you cannot clearly see things and people at a distance, often is an indicator of an early signs of cataract. If you already wear prescription glasses, you may notice that there is a change in the power, usually an increase.
4. The Halo Effect: When the lens of your eye is clouded, the light does not enter your eyes at the proper angle. This causes a bright ring or a halo around all the objects that are in your vision.
5. Reading Problems: You may find that reading is not as easy as it used to be earlier. You have to focus a lot on the text and strain your eyes. Reading in a well-lit room or under a bright light source may make things easier. A stronger power of reading glasses also may help. The inability to read and the need for bright light to read well are indicators that your eye lens is getting cloudy and that you may have cataract.
6. Night Trouble: Advanced cataracts have a brownish tinge around them. This makes the vision at night distorted. The objects look bright and hazy. This leads to difficulty in driving.
7. Colour Changes: As the cataract advances, the lens starts showing lumpy masses of protein which are yellowish. These yellow masses give a yellow tint to all the light passing through them. You may see the world as if you are wearing yellow sunglasses. Cataract change your ability to see colours, and you become incapable of differentiating, especially blue and violet.
8. Double vision: Also called diplopia, is a common symptom of cataract. Normally light gets refracted from our lens and falls on the retina. In cataract as the lens becomes cloudy, light that gets diffracted from it causes double vision.

In the initial stages, when the clouding of the lens has just started, you may find that certain measures help to improve the vision. For example, a bright and well-lit room may help reduce cloudy, blurry vision to some extent, or a stronger powered reading glass may help you read better. But after a certain point, these measures stop being effective.

The loss of vision increases gradually, and when this causes significant impairment in your day-to-day activities, it is high time you visit your ophthalmologist. Getting the lens removed surgically and getting a new one fixed is the only way out. Fortunately, cataract removal surgeries are highly successful and are done routinely on an outpatient basis.

Along with treatment, some lifestyle changes need to be incorporated into your daily routine. These will help you lead a healthy life and prevent vision impairment.

1. Avoid overexposure to Ultraviolet light: If going out in the sun, use shades to protect your eyes.
2. Eat a diet including fruits, vegetables, and whole, grains, as they are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals, which may delay the progression of cataract.
3. Quit smoking and alcohol.
4. Do not miss your medications: If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, it is important to take medications on time as diabetics have a higher risk of developing cataract. If medications are delayed, then the progression is faster.

Cataract is a disease condition of the eye which affects the lens. The normally clear lens, when affected by cataract, becomes cloudy. This causes cataract signs and symptoms like blurred vision, a halo around objects, sensitivity to light, reading problems and inability to drive at night.

At HexaHealth, we offer you the best form of consultation and treatment for cataract. Our team of doctors and surgeons are just a phone call away. Book a free online consultation and have all your doubts about cataract resolved.

Suggested Reads:

1. Cataract Surgery (Lens Replacement Surgery)
2. The Myths and Facts of Cataracts
3. Is It Possible to Treat Cataract Without Surgery in Hindi
4. Cost of Cataract Surgery in Delhi
5. Ayurvedic Treatment of Cataract in Hindi
6. Zepto Cataract Surgery - Advanced Treatment Procedure in India
7. Food not to Eat after Cataract Surgery - Diet to Take & Avoid