Top Columbia Eye Doctor Shares Cataract Symptoms That Are Most Often Dismissed
Plus discover who's most at risk and how you can protect your sight for years to come
When the world starts to look a little duller—the print less crisp, the glare more insistent—it’s easy to write off the change as fatigue or simply the passing of time. But the problem may lie deeper. Cataract symptoms, caused by the gradual clouding of the eye’s natural lens, are among the most common causes of vision changes in midlife and beyond.
Fortunately, the eye condition is also one of the most curable, says Aakriti Garg Shukla, MD, a glaucoma specialist and cataract surgeon at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. “If we live long enough, we’ll all develop them,” Dr. Shukla explains. “The beautiful thing is, vision loss from cataracts is completely reversible.”
Keep reading to see the early signs and symptoms of cataracts to watch for, common risk factors and how the condition is treated.
Woman's World Answers
What causes cataracts?
Cataracts form when proteins in the eye’s clear lens break down and clump together, blocking light and blurring vision. Age is the biggest risk factor for cataracts developing, but several other influences can speed up the process.
“Diabetes, long-term steroid use and frequent UV exposure can all increase the risk,” Dr. Shukla says. Eye injuries and a family history of cataracts also play a role, and genetics sometimes mean the clouding starts surprisingly early. “Some people start to see changes in their 40s,” she adds.
Although menopause itself isn’t independently linked to cataract formation, hormonal changes that come with age can sometimes make women more aware of dryness or light sensitivity, which may draw attention to early vision changes, Dr. Shukla adds.
7 signs and symptoms of cataracts
In the early stages, cataracts may cause only subtle differences. “Many people describe it as constantly searching for the right lighting,” Dr. Shukla says. “They find themselves turning lamps on and off or struggling to read under the same light that used to be fine.”
Some of the most common signs of cataracts include:
- Colors that seem muted
- Lights that appear unusually bright or dim
- Night driving becomes more difficult
- Glares or “halos” around lights, especially headlights
- Blurry vision
- Double vision
- A sense that everything looks a bit hazy, as if viewed through a foggy window
“That’s because the lens has become cloudy,” Dr. Shukla notes of the hazy vision cataract symptom. “The light just isn’t getting through the way it should.”
Unlike glaucoma, which affects the optic nerve, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects the retina, cataracts distort the eye’s focusing mechanism. That means it’s a mechanical problem that can be corrected rather than a disease that permanently damages vision, explains Dr. Shukla.
Cataract surgery restores clear vision
Once cataract symptoms begin to interfere with daily life (such as your ability to read, drive or distinguish faces), surgery is the definitive and only effective solution, Dr. Shukla says. “Cataract surgery is one of the most common and successful procedures in medicine,” she adds.
The 10- to 15-minute operation is usually performed under twilight anesthesia, a light form of sedation that keeps patients awake but completely comfortable. The cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a clear artificial lens, known as an intraocular lens, instantly restoring the eye’s ability to focus light.
“Patients can hear sounds and see lights during surgery, but they don’t feel pain,” Dr. Shukla says. “Recovery is smooth. Most notice clearer vision within a week, and full healing takes about a month.”
For women who also have glaucoma, both problems can often be treated at once. “We often perform minimally-invasive glaucoma surgery alongside cataract surgery. Removing the cloudy lens and opening up the eye’s drain can help improve vision while also lowering eye pressure,” she explains. “It’s wonderful to give patients clearer sight and healthier eyes in a single step.”
How to reduce your risk of cataracts
While no diet or supplement can prevent cataracts or their symptoms, small daily habits can help protect the lens and slow its clouding. Dr. Shukla recommends wearing UV-blocking sunglasses, avoiding smoking and secondhand smoke and keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure well controlled. That’s especially true for those with diabetes, since high blood sugar can damage the proteins in the lens and speed cataract formation. (Discover the high blood sugar symptoms you should never ignore.)
Dr. Shukla notes that regular eye exams are also key, since cataracts, like glaucoma, are easiest to manage when detected early.
“Vision is hugely important for quality of life,” Dr. Shukla says. “As we get older, sometimes other senses like hearing are affected, and that can make people feel disconnected. But the field of ophthalmology is special in that we can improve sight and help people stay connected and involved in the world.”
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