The main symptom of the most common acquired form of cataract (age cataract) is a visual deterioration that develops over years and therefore only becomes noticeable after a certain stage. The environment appears more and more colorless, contrasts lose sharpness. Often affected persons also complain about symptoms of blurred vision.
In bright light (for example, the headlights of oncoming cars in the dark), the diffuse refraction of the rays causes strong glare. Around light sources (e.g. lamps) so-called halos of light are created. Double images are also described as occasionally occurring symptoms.
The opacity also causes a change, or more precisely an increase in the refractive power of the lens, so that sometimes this can compensate for existing presbyopia and such patients no longer need reading glasses for the time being. Presbyopia is caused by the loss of elasticity of the lens and the resulting reduced ability to focus on objects at close distances. However, this positive effect on presbyopia only exists in the short term.
In the advanced stage, the clouding of the lens is also visible from the outside. It is also interesting that these people no longer get “red eyes” in photos taken with flash. With the other acquired cataracts (see classification) the deterioration of vision often develops much faster.
Accordingly, the changes and typical symptoms are more likely to be noticed. In the congenital forms, the cataract is naturally already there and does not have to develop slowly. Here, immediate surgery is important in most cases, as otherwise the development of vision can be disturbed and often serious visual impairment up to blindness is imminent.
Detecting a cataract
Cataract is an age-related eye disease in which clouding of the lens occurs. This also causes the associated symptoms. The main symptom is a deterioration in vision, in which mainly the sharpness of vision is increasingly impaired.
Objects can then no longer be properly focused and merge with their surroundings, since colors and contrasts can also be perceived with increasing difficulty. Patients with cataracts often report a kind of veil that restricts the field of vision. As the disease progresses, this becomes larger and thicker and can lead to complete blindness if left untreated.
Increased sensitivity to light can also be a symptom of cataracts. Often the first symptoms are noticeable when driving in poor visibility or at night, as the range of vision is already reduced in these situations anyway. However, those affected often trivialize these symptoms and attribute them to other causes, such as tiredness or a generally worsened general condition. However, it is important for the further course of the disease to understand these symptoms as an expression of an eye disease and therefore to seek ophthalmological advice as soon as possible.
