Holiday Lights Look Blurry? Signs You May Be Developing Cataracts

December is a time of dazzling displays, but if your neighbor’s string lights look like a fuzzy halo or a smeared starburst, it might be more than just the holiday atmosphere. Increased glare and halos around lights, especially at night, are often one of the earliest and most common signs that you may be developing Cataracts.

Cataracts occur when the natural lens inside your eye becomes cloudy, causing vision to become hazy or blurry. The expert team at Eye Consultants of North Dakota encourages you to pay attention to these changes this season.

The Vision Signs of a Developing Cataract

Cataracts start small and progress slowly, but they impact the way light is processed by your eye. Look out for these tell-tale signs:

• Excessive Glare and Halos: The cloudy lens scatters incoming light. This is most noticeable around bright light sources, like car headlights, street lamps, and holiday lights, causing severe glare, halos, or starbursts.
• Cloudy or Foggy Vision: Your overall vision may appear progressively cloudy or milky, as if you are constantly looking through a dirty car windshield.
• Difficulty with Night Driving: Due to the combination of glare and reduced contrast sensitivity, driving at dusk or at night becomes increasingly challenging and risky.
• Fading or Yellowing Colors: Your perception of colors may change, making blues and purples appear dull or faded, often taking on a yellowish tint.

Cataracts are treatable! When they begin to significantly impact your daily life, Cataract Surgery is a common, safe procedure to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear, artificial lens (IOL), restoring bright, clear vision.

Don’t let blurry, glaring vision steal the beauty of the holiday season. If you suspect your vision is changing, schedule a comprehensive Cataract Evaluation with Eye Consultants of North Dakota today!