Cataracts diagnosis

What are cataracts?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in your eye. Your lens sits just behind your iris, the coloured part of your eye. Normally your lens is clear and helps to focus the light entering your eye. Cataracts cause your sight to become cloudy, misty, and sometimes blurry.

Cataracts usually affect both eyes. They can also affect just one eye or affect one eye more than the other. Cataracts are treated by surgery, during which removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial lens.

Do I have cataracts?

Cataracts normally develop very slowly. At first, the changes to your sight may be difficult to notice. Your optometrist (also known as an optician) may be able to detect cataracts when you have your regular eye test.

As cataracts get worse, you may notice:

• You feel like your glasses are dirty and need cleaning, even when they don’t 

• Your sight is misty and cloudy 

• You’re more sensitive to light – bright sunlight or car headlamps may glare more 

• Colours look less vibrant.

If you wear glasses, you may notice that you need to change the prescription of your glasses more often than usual.

Eventually, cataracts can cause your sight to become more and more misty or cloudy. You may find things have become difficult to see all of the time.

Why have I developed cataracts?

Cataracts normally develop as we get older. Most people start to develop cataracts after the age of 65. Some people in their 40s and 50s can also develop cataracts.

You may be more likely to develop cataracts if:

• You have diabetes – people with diabetes often develop cataracts earlier
• You’ve had an eye injury or eye surgery
• You take certain medications, such as steroids
• You have another eye condition, such as retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, or uveitis
• You’re very short-sighted.

Some children have cataracts, which are managed in a different way. We have information on congenital cataracts (also known as childhood cataracts) on our website.

What can be done about cataracts?

You have three options if you’re diagnosed with cataracts:

Do nothing

You can choose to do nothing about your cataracts, especially if they’re not affecting your vision too much at the moment.

Use aids and adaptations

Aids and adaptations can help you make the most of your sight while you’re waiting for cataract surgery, or if you’ve been told surgery isn’t the right option for you.

Adaptations include better lighting, large print books and making text bigger on screens.

Aids include magnifying lenses, prescription glasses, and sunglasses.

The RNIB Online Shop has a range of products recommended for people with cataracts.

Have surgery to remove cataracts

Surgery is the only way to treat cataracts. The cloudy lens is removed and replaced with a clear artificial lens.

After surgery, your vision can return to how it was before the cataract started developing (as long as you have no other eye conditions).

Good to know: If cataracts are impacting your day to day activities, you can generally decide when to have surgery. You can use this NHS guide to help you decide, with help from your optometrist or eye doctor.

Your cataracts journey

Whether you think you might have cataracts or you have been diagnosed, it’s normal to feel worried or uncertain about what happens next. We’re here for you with information, help and emotional support. Click the link below to for information on what to expect on your cataracts journey and helpful questions you can ask.