Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens inside your eye. Over time, that lens changes in color and light doesn’t pass through it as well as it used to. The result is blurred vision that may seem hazy or cloudy and often causes increased glare, especially at night.

How Cataracts Affect Your Vision

Patients often describe cataracts as feeling like there is a film over everything they see. You may notice more difficulty with night driving, halos around headlights, or trouble reading in low light. Colors can look less vivid, and you may find yourself needing frequent changes to your glasses prescription, only to feel that things are still not as sharp as you’d like.

Why Cataracts Develop

Most cataracts are related to the natural aging process of the eye’s lens. However, long‑term steroid use, smoking, diabetes, previous eye injuries or surgeries, and years of UV exposure can speed up their development. Cataracts usually form in both eyes, but not always at the same pace.

How We Manage Cataracts

During your eye exams, we monitor the clarity of your lenses and talk with you about how your vision is affecting daily activities like driving, reading, and hobbies. In the earlier stages, we can often improve your vision with an updated glasses prescription and better lighting. When cataracts begin to significantly limit what you can do, we’ll discuss referral to a trusted cataract surgeon and what to expect before and after surgery.

Cataract surgery is a very common and successful procedure. The cloudy lens is removed and replaced with a clear artificial lens. We remain involved in your care throughout this process—helping with pre‑surgical measurements and counseling, then seeing you afterward for follow‑up and any fine‑tuning with glasses.

If you feel like your vision is always slightly foggy, if night driving has become stressful, or if you’re avoiding activities because of your sight, it may be time to have your cataracts evaluated more closely.