Cataracts Information

While a comprehensive eye examination can determine for certain if you have a cataract forming, there are a number of signs and symptoms that may indicate a cataract. Among them are:

• Gradual blurring or hazy vision where colors may seem yellowed
• The appearance of dark spots or shadows that seem to move when the eye moves
• A tendency to become more nearsighted because of increasing density of the lens
• Double vision in one eye only
• A gradual loss of color vision
• A stage where it is easier to see without glasses
• The feeling of having a film over the eyes
• An increased sensitivity to glare, especially at night.

What is a cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear crystalline lens of the eye. This prevents the lens from properly focusing light on the retina at the back of the eye, resulting in a loss of vision. A cataract is not a film that grows over the surface of the eye, as is often commonly thought.

Why are they called cataracts?
Sometimes cataracts can be seen as a milkiness on the normally black pupil. In ancient times, it was believed this cloudiness was caused by a waterfall - or cataract - behind the eye.