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How Do I Know If I Have Cataracts?

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Cataracts are very common. They occur when your eye’s natural lens grows cloudy. This makes it harder to see, especially as the lens grows more and more opaque. 

More often than not, this is a side effect of aging and affects many people who are older than forty. But it can be hard to tell when you develop cataracts as they often appear slowly over many years. 

The best way to tell if you have cataracts is to see an eye doctor regularly. This will allow them to check when your cataracts begin developing and to track how advanced they get with time. 

There are also several symptoms that may show that you have cataracts. If you have several of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to see an eye doctor as soon as you can for diagnosis and treatment.

Blurred Vision

One of the biggest symptoms of cataracts is blurry vision. When your lens is clouded, it can be like looking through a foggy window pane. 

But this can also appear to be your eyesight getting worse. As cataracts are usually a result of aging, they may coincide with other age-related conditions like presbyopia. 

Presbyopia makes it harder to see objects up close. Cataracts make your vision at any distance blurry, especially when they’re very advanced.

Light Sensitivity 

Being sensitive to light can be a sign of several different conditions. When light sensitivity is also paired with seeing halos around lights and intense glare, it’s likely a sign of cataracts. 

Cataracts make your eyes sensitive to light. The increased glare from light sources makes that sensitivity worse. 

This can make it very hard to see when surrounded by many lights, especially in an otherwise dark setting. It can also make driving at night difficult, as headlights can make it hard to keep your eyes on the road.

Trouble Seeing at Night 

In contrast to light sensitivity, cataracts also make it harder to see in low light. This can make driving at night even more difficult as it’s hard to see dark areas and lit areas due to light sensitivity. 

It also can be harder to do up-close work like reading if you have inadequate lighting. You may find you can only work when you have a direct light on whatever you’re working on. 

This, too, can be mistaken for presbyopia, but the fact light can make reading easier and reading glasses won’t is a good sign that the issue is cataracts.

Seeing Colors as More Faded 

If you have cataracts, you may find colors seem duller. It can also be harder to spot the contrast between colors. 

You may find it harder to recognize objects against similarly colored backgrounds. This is a difficult symptom to spot as you lack a reference point for how colors should look when cataracts are affecting your vision. 

But if you find you have trouble seeing differences in colors that should be different shades, it can be a good indicator that you have cataracts.

Have more questions about cataracts? Schedule a cataract screening at Sierra Nevada Eye Center in Reno, NV! Why not make the choice to see clearly in 2021 and have cataract surgery?

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