Symptoms of Cataracts
General information about symptoms of Cataracts: The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible symptoms of Cataracts. This symptom information has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of symptoms of Cataracts. Furthermore, symptoms of Cataracts may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of symptoms and whether they are indeed symptoms of Cataracts.
List of symptoms of Cataracts: The list of symptoms mentioned in various sources for Cataracts includes:
- No early symptoms
- Blurred vision
- Cloudy vision
- Corneal clouding
- Foggy vision
- Progressive blurring of vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Night glare
- Days seem too bright
- Halo around lights
- Double vision
- Vision changes
- Needing new glasses
- Faded colors
- Degraded night vision
Symptoms of Cataracts: A cataract starts out small. It has little effect on vision at first. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, like looking through a cloudy piece of glass.
A cataract may make light from the sun or a lamp seem too bright, causing a glare. Or, you may notice when you drive at night that the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before. Also, colors may not appear as bright to you as they once did.
As the cataract gets bigger and clouds more of the lens (doctors use the term, "ripens"), you will find it harder to read and do other normal tasks. The word "cataract" means waterfall. For people with a ripe cataract, it is like trying to see through a waterfall.1
The most common symptoms of a cataract are:
- Cloudy or blurry vision.
- Problems with light. These can include headlights that seem too bright at night; glare from lamps or very bright sunlight; or a halo around lights.
- Colors that seem faded.
- Poor night vision.
- Double or multiple vision (this symptom often goes away as the cataract grows).
- Frequent changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
These symptoms can also be a sign of other eye problems. If you have any of these symptoms, check with your eye care professional.
When a cataract is small, you may not notice any changes in your vision. Cataracts tend to grow slowly, so vision gets worse gradually. Some people with a cataract find that their close-up vision suddenly improves, but this is temporary. Vision is likely to get worse again as the cataract grows.2
More symptoms of Cataracts: In addition to the above information, to get a full picture of the possible symptoms of this condition and its related conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by complications of Cataracts, underlying causes of Cataracts, associated conditions for Cataracts, risk factors for Cataracts, or other related conditions.
Medical articles on symptoms: These general reference articles may be of interest:
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Are You At Risk for Cataract: NEI
2. excerpt from Facts About Cataract: NEI
Last revision: May 26, 2003
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