Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. Clouded vision caused by cataracts can make it more difficult to read, drive a car, especially at night, or see the expression on a friend’s face.

Most cataracts develop slowly and don’t disturb your eyesight early on. But with time, cataracts will eventually interfere with your vision.

At first, stronger lighting and eyeglasses can help you deal with cataracts. However, cataracts may cause impaired vision that interferes with your usual activities, such as blurred vision when reading or difficulty driving at night due to glare from headlights. At this point, you may need cataract surgery. Fortunately, cataract surgery is generally a safe, effective procedure. You can only tell for sure that the vision change is due to a cataract by having a complete eye examination.