Cataract
What are the symptoms of a cataract?
A cataract usually causes vision that is misty or like looking through a dirty window, increasing trouble with glare and night driving, colours that look faded or yellowed, and glasses prescriptions that keep changing. It develops slowly and is painless. Both eyes are often affected, though rarely to the same degree at the same time.
Common early signs
- Vision that seems smoky, hazy or dim, not corrected by cleaning your glasses
- Halos and starbursts around headlights and street lamps at night
- Needing much brighter light to read comfortably
- Colours looking washed out, and whites looking creamy or yellow
- A change in glasses prescription more often than usual, sometimes becoming more short sighted
- Double or ghosted images in one eye
What a cataract does not cause
Cataract is painless. It does not make the eye red, does not cause discharge, and does not cause sudden loss of vision. Those symptoms point to something else and should be assessed on their own merits rather than blamed on a cataract.
When to get checked
Have an eye examination if daily tasks are becoming harder, if night driving feels unsafe, or if your vision is not as good as it used to be with your current glasses. Examination also confirms that the cataract, and not another condition such as glaucoma or a retinal problem, is the cause.
When to seek urgent assessment
- Sudden loss of vision, eye pain or a red eye, which are not caused by cataract and need prompt assessment
- In a baby or young child, a white or grey appearance in the pupil, which needs urgent specialist review
Frequently asked questions
- Can a cataract come back?
- The cataract itself cannot return once the lens has been replaced. Some people develop clouding of the thin membrane behind the implant months or years later, which can be treated.
- Does using my eyes make it worse?
- No. Reading, screens and close work do not accelerate a cataract.
Concerned about these symptoms?
Arrange an eye examination with our consultant ophthalmologist in Garki, Abuja.
Care at Standard Eye
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