They tend to creep in. Maybe night driving feels harsher than it used to. Colours look flatter. You updated your glasses, and things still seem slightly foggy.
Cataracts usually develop slowly, and the early changes can include hazy vision, more glare and halos, harder night driving, duller colours and more frequent prescription changes.
None of that automatically means cataracts. But when several show up together, they are worth mentioning at an eye exam.
Inside each eye is a clear natural lens that helps focus light.
A cataract develops when that lens gradually becomes cloudy. Because the change happens over time, the first signs are easy to dismiss.
One of the most common early changes is vision that feels blurred, cloudy or simply less sharp.
You might notice it reading small print, watching television, driving, or trying to make out detail at a distance. IRIS describes it as looking through a steamed-up window.
Glare and sensitivity to bright light often become more noticeable. Headlights, streetlights and bright sun can feel harsher than they used to, and halos can appear around light sources, particularly at night.
If halos are the thing you are noticing most, our Halos Around Lights read goes further into what causes them and when they deserve attention.
A more useful question than “can I still drive at night?” is “is driving at night noticeably harder than it was a year ago?”
Colours can gradually look duller, faded or slightly yellowed. Because it happens slowly, it is surprisingly easy to miss.
The world does not suddenly turn beige. It just starts inching toward a slightly sepia filter.
If you are updating your glasses more often than usual and your vision still does not feel right, say so.
Frequent prescription changes can be one clue that the natural lens is changing. Not every prescription change points to a cataract. It is the pattern that matters.
A cataract can sometimes cause double vision in one eye. That is called monocular double vision, and it is different from double vision involving both eyes.
Either way, new double vision deserves a proper assessment rather than an attempt to troubleshoot it with stronger glasses.
If you are wondering whether your vision has actually changed, ask yourself:
Yes. Cataracts are commonly treated with surgery once they interfere enough with vision and everyday life.
Noticing an early symptom does not send you straight to surgery.
An exam can determine whether cataracts are actually behind the changes, how much they are affecting your vision, and whether treatment is a conversation for now or for later.
Book an appointment if you notice vision changes that are:
An eye exam is what sorts out whether the change is coming from cataracts, your prescription, dry eye or something else.
IRIS Cochrane provides eye exams, prescription eyewear, sunglasses and contact lenses for people and families in Cochrane and the surrounding area. The clinic is part of the Canadian IRIS network and is led locally by optometrists including Dr. Jason Hauck, Dr. Ravneet Grewal and Dr. Nadia Albano.
IRIS Cochrane is a local optometry and eyewear clinic serving Cochrane residents with eye exams, vision care, prescription glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses. The clinic is part of IRIS The Visual Group, a Canadian eye care brand with roots dating back to 1990. IRIS brings optometrists, opticians and ophthalmology services together under one national banner, while the Cochrane clinic offers local access to care for families, adults, children, contact lens wearers and anyone noticing changes in their vision. Public IRIS listings identify Dr. Jason Hauck as Owner and Optometrist at IRIS Cochrane, with Dr. Ravneet Grewal and Dr. Nadia Albano also connected to the Cochrane clinic.
