Cataract Symptoms & Causes
A cataract develops quietly. Vision blurs, colours lose their edge, and lights begin to dazzle rather than illuminate. Most people blame their glasses, but the real change is happening inside the lens of the eye. Here is what to look for and when to act.
Symptoms worth taking seriously
Cataracts are painless and develop slowly, which is why people often adapt without realising how much their vision has changed. By the time symptoms are obvious, the cataract is usually well established. If any of these sound familiar, it is worth a proper examination.
Vision that looks misty, foggy or blurred, even with your glasses on
Glare and halos around lights, especially when driving at night
Colours appearing washed out, yellowish or less vivid than they used to
Frequent changes in spectacle or contact lens prescription
Difficulty reading in dim light or needing brighter light than before
Double vision or ghost images in one eye, even when the other is closed
See a doctor promptly if you notice a sudden change in vision, a new shadow or curtain over your sight, or sudden eye pain alongside redness. These can indicate a different, more urgent problem.
Why the lens clouds over
The lens inside your eye is normally crystal clear, bending light precisely onto the retina to give sharp images. It is made mostly of water and protein, arranged in a way that keeps it transparent. Over time, that protein slowly breaks down and clumps together, creating the cloudy patches we call a cataract.
Age is by far the most common driver. After 50, the proteins in the lens start changing in ways that are not fully preventable. But ageing is not the only cause. High blood sugar in diabetes accelerates the process considerably, which is why diabetic patients in Chennai and across India often develop cataracts a decade earlier than others.
Prolonged use of steroid medications, previous eye injuries, radiation exposure, and smoking can all speed up lens clouding. In some cases, cataracts are present from birth or develop in childhood, though these are far less common.
Common risk factors
- Age above 50 (most common in the 60s and 70s)
- Diabetes or poorly controlled blood sugar
- Long-term use of oral or inhaled steroid medications
- History of eye injury or previous eye surgery
- Excessive sun exposure without UV-protective eyewear
- Smoking (doubles the risk of nuclear cataracts)
- Family history of early-onset cataract
- Radiation treatment to the head or upper body
Conditions that accelerate cataract development
While anyone can develop a cataract given enough time, certain conditions make it happen faster and at a younger age.
Diabetes
Chronically elevated blood sugar alters the chemistry of the lens, making cataracts develop significantly earlier. Diabetic patients in Perambur often present in their 40s and 50s rather than their 70s.
Steroid medications
Steroids taken for asthma, arthritis, skin conditions or other illnesses over months or years are linked to a specific type of cataract at the back of the lens, called posterior subcapsular cataract.
UV exposure
Years of unprotected sun exposure, especially in hot climates like Chennai, increases the risk of cortical cataracts. UV-protective sunglasses genuinely reduce this risk over a lifetime.
Smoking
Smokers develop nuclear cataracts, the most common age-related type, at twice the rate of non-smokers. The oxidative damage from tobacco directly affects lens proteins.
Eye injury
A blunt or penetrating injury to the eye can damage the lens directly or set off changes that lead to a traumatic cataract months or years later, even after the original injury has healed.
Family history
If a parent developed cataracts before 65, you carry an elevated risk. Genetic factors influence both the type of cataract and the age at which it appears.
How we find it and what we do next
Diagnosing a cataract is straightforward: a slit-lamp examination under dilation gives a clear view of the lens. What matters is understanding how much the cataract is affecting your daily life, so that surgery is offered at the right time, not too early and not left too late.
Vision and lens assessment
A dilated eye examination lets us see the lens clearly and grade the cataract's density, position and type. We also measure visual acuity and check how much glare affects your sight.
Pre-surgical biometry
When surgery is the right step, precise measurements of the eye (axial length, corneal curvature) are taken to select the ideal replacement lens, including options to reduce dependence on glasses after surgery.
Phacoemulsification surgery
The clouded lens is removed through a tiny, self-sealing incision using ultrasound energy. A foldable artificial lens is placed in its position. No stitches. Most people return home within hours with noticeably clearer vision.
For a full explanation of what to expect before, during and after surgery, visit our Cataract Surgery page. You can also read about our diagnostic equipment used to plan your care.
Cataract questions, answered plainly
The questions we hear most often from patients in Perambur and across Chennai who are worried about their vision.
The earliest signs are usually a slight blurring or mistiness of vision, increased sensitivity to glare, and a gradual fading of colours. Many people notice that their reading glasses no longer give a sharp image, or that bright light seems to dazzle rather than help.
Most cataracts are age-related and begin forming after 50, though many people do not notice symptoms until their 60s or 70s. Cataracts can also appear earlier in people with diabetes, those who have used steroid medications long-term, or following an eye injury.
No medication, eye drops or glasses can reverse a cataract once it has formed. Updated glasses may help in the early stages when the cataract is mild, but surgery is the only definitive treatment. Modern phacoemulsification surgery is safe, quick and remarkably effective.
Cataract surgery typically takes 15 to 20 minutes under local anaesthetic drops. You are awake but feel no pain. Most people return home the same day and notice an improvement in vision within a day or two.
Medical sources
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Eye health information.
- National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. Eye conditions and diseases.
- All India Ophthalmological Society. aios.org.
Blurry vision does not have to be your normal.
If cataracts are affecting your day-to-day life, an examination at Aadithya Eye Care in Perambur will give you a clear picture of what is happening and what your options are. Dr Vasantha Gowri sees patients Monday to Saturday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.