How cataracts affect your vision
Every time you glance out a window, admire loved ones, or enjoy your favorite TV show, your eye's lens is hard at work, focusing light to create clear images. But what happens when that lens begins to lose its clarity? Imagine looking through a dirty window or a sheet of wax paper—that's what vision can feel like for someone developing cataracts.
Cataracts occur when the proteins in the eye's lens clump together, making it harder for light to pass through clearly. Early on when the clumps are small, you might not notice much, as the changes are subtle. Objects may lose their sharpness, vision might blur slightly, and distant objects may start appearing fuzzier, while close-up vision temporarily improves in a phenomenon called a myopic shift. If you notice any of these vision changes, your first move is to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor for a new prescription for glasses or contact lenses.
Generally, cataracts develop gradually in both eyes. However, some people lose more vision in one eye than in the other. As the cataract becomes thicker, your vision will begin to blur even more. You may have trouble seeing while driving at night or reading fine print and other details.
Over time, however, cataracts can cause colors to fade, night driving to become difficult, and everyday tasks like reading or recognizing faces to grow increasingly challenging. A yellowish haze may tint everything you see and contribute to a loss of detailed vision. At first, updating your prescription for glasses may give you clear enough vision. But eventually, the clouding will get worse and obstruct your sight to the point where you'll need cataract surgery to drive or to do many other activities of daily living.
Surgery is really the only medical treatment for cataracts. No drops, pills, or dietary changes will make cataracts go away. Without surgery, cataracts can progress to the point of legal blindness (a visual acuity of 20/200 or less) or even total blindness. Today, most Americans have surgery long before their vision becomes severely limited.
To learn more about cataracts and surgery options, read Clearing the fog of cataracts, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
Image: FG Trade/Getty Image
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