What Is The First Sign Of Cataracts?

At some point in everyone’s life, vision begins to decline due to cataracts. It is very likely you have already encountered the term cataract from someone raving about their vision after cataract surgery. But what exactly is a cataract?

Everyone has a lens inside their eye that is involved in focusing vision. Over time this lens gradually becomes cloudy through natural processes (and occasionally other causes). And eventually this cloudiness makes it harder to see and enjoy your normal activities. At this point, this lens is now called a cataract. Often symptoms are very gradual and many people do not notice the deterioration of their vision until it has affected them quite a bit.

Fun history lesson! The word cataract actually comes from the latin word “cataracta” which means waterfall. When cataracts get very dense, they can assume a white coloration which can look like a waterfall within the eye! But when cataracts aren’t quite as dense as a waterfall, there can be little change in the outward appearance of the eye.

So How Do You Tell If You Have Cataracts?

Cataracts have an insidious onset for most people. Vision gradually worsens over time until you start to notice difficulties doing activities. And the ideal time to have cataract surgery is when the cataracts are starting to affect your vision. But because of the insidious onset, cataracts may start to affect your vision long before you are even aware of them. So how do you know if you have cataracts?

Cataracts cause a variety of symptoms. From the more well known blurry vision to changes in the perception of colors and even double vision.

Early on, however, you may simply just notice a change in glasses prescription. One of the first signs of cataracts is that your vision may become more nearsighted. Sometimes people notice that they can actually read up close better! Because of this, this myopia from the cataracts is called “second sight”. But this second sight won’t last forever as the cataract worsens.

Another common early symptom of cataracts is difficulty in low light situations. Cataracts prevent extra light from reaching the back of the eye. This can be especially noticeable in dim settings such as restaurants. Waiters and waitresses typically carry around flashlights for this exact reason. Difficulty in low light situations also comes up with driving. It can be more difficult to comfortably react to cars and traffic so many people just simply stop driving at night.

_{Trouble with night vision; image by Andrew Wallwork from Canada / CC BY-SA}

But When Are Cataracts Ripe?

_{Do Cataracts Ripen Like Bananas?; image by Steve Hopson, www.stevehopson.com, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons}

Usually cataracts take years to fully develop. Because of this, cataracts exist in various stages. In the early stages, cataracts just aren’t affecting vision very much and aren’t even technically called cataracts yet. However, similar to how a piece of fruit ripens to be good to eat, cataracts “ripen” over time to be ready for surgery. But when is the right time to get surgery done? When are cataracts ripe?

The best time for cataract surgery is as soon as the cataracts start to bother your vision. By the time cataracts have started to bother you, you have already lost vision from the cataracts. If you are having more trouble driving, especially if you are noticing extra glare; If you are having a harder time reading things; These are all signs that cataracts are ripe.

Can a ripe cataract be determined in the office? Yes and no. Under a microscope we are definitely able to see the cataract forming. We can determine the overall health of the eye to make sure that eye is healthy otherwise. But, cataracts have to be bothersome in order to justify going through surgery to remove them. If the cataract isn’t bothering you, then it isn’t quite ripe yet and waiting a few more months can be an option.

So no need to worry about your cataracts. If they are bothering you then yes, they are ripe enough for surgery. And cataract surgery does an awesome job of fixing those cataracts for good and restoring your vision.

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