Symptoms

During the early stages, cataracts have little effect on vision. The symptoms of a cataract may include:

• Cloudy vision, double vision, or both may be the first signs.
• Images may take on a yellowish tint as color vibrancy diminishes.
• Reading may become difficult over time because of a reduced contrast between letters and their background.
• Sensitivity to bright lights may make it difficult or impossible to drive at night because of glare from the headlights of oncoming cars. (People with diffuse cataracts in the rear walls of their lenses are particularly prone to glare sensitivity because bright light tends to scatter in their lenses.)
• In very advanced cases, the pupil, which is normally black, looks milky or yellowish. The patient's vision is reduced to being able only to distinguish light from dark.

This photograph shows a cloudy white lens (cataract) over the pupil. Cataracts are a leading cause of decreased vision in older individuals, but children may have congenital cataracts. With new surgical techniques, the cataract can be removed, a new lens implanted, and the person can usually return home the same day.

Symptoms in Specific Locations

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Nuclear Cataracts. Cataracts of the lens nucleus are most commonly associated with aging. Symptoms include:

• Hazy distance vision and increasing glare.
• Progressive nearsightedness and the need for frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions. This effect may even temporarily counteract age-related farsightedness and provide a temporary improvement in overall vision in some people. The improvement fades when the cataract advances sufficiently to overwhelm the inherent farsightedness. Eventually, as the cataracts grow worse, stronger glasses can no longer correct the patient's vision.

Click the icon to see an image of normal, near, and farsighted vision.