Is It Age Related or Cataracts? | Cataract Awareness Month

As you age, you may notice certain changes in your vision, such as reaching for reading glasses or having a little more trouble driving at night. Some vision changes are considered specifically age related, but certain changes in your vision can indicate cataracts. According to the National Eye Institute, your risk of cataracts increases as you age. 

June is Cataract Awareness Month. The observance helps raise awareness about cataracts, including risk factors, symptoms, and treatments. 
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Understanding the difference between specifically age-related vision changes and cataract symptoms is vital to prevent delays in diagnosis and care. 

What are cataracts?

Cataracts occur when proteins in the eye's lens break down or clump. This causes a cloudy area in the lens and blurred vision. Over time, cataracts can lead to vision loss. However, surgery can correct cataracts by removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. 

Symptoms of cataracts can include: 

• Blurry vision
• Increased light sensitivity
• Trouble seeing at night
• Seeing bright colors as faded

Aging is the most common cause of cataracts. Normal changes in the eye can cause the lens to break down, leading to cloudy vision. Additional risk factors for cataracts include:

• Excess sun exposure
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Previous eye injury 
• Family history 

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What are specifically age-related vision changes?

You may experience certain vision changes as you age, usually starting in your 40s. These specifically age-related visual changes to the lens in your eye are different from cataracts.

The lens becomes less flexible, which may make it more difficult to see objects up close. It can also lead to increased glare sensitivity, which can affect night driving.

According to the American College of Ophthalmology, you may also notice increased floaters in your line of vision. This usually occurs because the gel-like substance in the middle of the eye, called the vitreous, changes over time. These changes can form tiny clumps, leading to floaters. 
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​How to tell the difference?

​You don't want to assume that all changes to your vision are all specifically due to aging. This can cause you to miss the signs of an eye disease and prevent you from getting appropriate treatment that may help preserve your vision. 

Signs specifically due to aging may include difficulty focusing on close objects, but your distant vision remains clear. With cataracts, blurred or cloudy vision occurs at both close and distant vision. 

Additionally, age-related changes usually affect both eyes at a fairly equal rate. Cataracts sometimes affect one eye worse than the other. 

However, it's important to remember that you may not always be able to tell the difference between specifically age-related changes and cataract symptoms, especially in their early stages. That's why, anytime you experience changes in your vision, it's always best to have an eye exam to rule out potential eye diseases. 

Below is a chart for quick reference on specifically age-related changes and possible symptoms of cataracts.
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Specifically age-related changes	Possible symptoms of cataracts
Needing more light to read	Cloudy vision
Trouble reading small print	Colors appearing faded
Mild problems with glare when driving	Strong halos around lights
Reading glasses improve vision	Limited improvement with prescription changes and vision still hazy with glasses

Having a comprehensive eye exam is the best way to differentiate between specifically age-related changes and cataracts. 

If you would like to schedule an eye appointment with one of our eye doctors, please call our office at 508-746-8600.