5 Signs That Point to Cataracts This Holiday Season

Posted by: Rocky Mountain Eye Center in News on December 19, 2022

It’s that time of the year again! Time to take out the tinsel, light the candles, and roast the goose! Time for the holidays!

If you are experiencing signs of developing cataracts, it might be harder to make merry this holiday season. Cataracts are a common eye condition that often develop as you age and are one of the leading causes of vision impairment in older adults. 

Cataracts develop slowly over time and can take years to affect your vision. One of the most important things you can do to protect your vision is to contact your eye care provider if you start to experience the signs of cataracts.

Before you wrap your first gift, learn about some common signs and symptoms of cataracts. Keep reading to learn five signs that point to cataracts this holiday season!

 1. Changes to Your Night Vision

The holidays are a time for friends and family to gather to celebrate. During the holiday season, you may be driving to see friends just a few blocks away or to visit family who live hours away. 

With winter’s short days, you might often make these drives at night. However far you have to go, one sign of cataracts is increasing difficulty driving at night. 

While the glare of headlights or the darkness surrounding the road may never have been an issue before, if you are developing cataracts, night driving can become a source of stress. Cataracts affect your night vision by limiting the amount of light that reaches the photosensitive retina at the back of the eye.

Streetlights and bright headlights may also cause starbursts, making it challenging to drive safely.

2. Sensitivity to Bright Lights and Glare

One of the most fun things to do around the holidays is to deck your home and yard with twinkle lights! Holiday lights are one sure way to put everyone in a festive mood!

Almost as fun as hanging lights is driving around and looking at the lights on display at neighbors’ and local businesses. A holiday light tour is a great opportunity for families to celebrate the season from the comfort of a warm car.

If you are developing cataracts, looking at jolly strings of lights might not be so fun this year. Looking at bright lights can cause eye discomfort, which can lead to painful headaches, cutting short a night of togetherness.

Certain types of cataracts can cause you to be sensitive to bright lights and glare. These types of cataracts start at the back of the lens of the eye and block the path of incoming light, causing light to scatter within the eye.

3. Blurry Vision

Whether you trim your tree the day after Thanksgiving or the day before Christmas, a decorated tree and other holiday displays make your home feel ready for the holidays. As you stand back to admire your decorating skills, you may notice that things aren’t so clear if you have untreated cataracts. 

One of the leading signs of cataracts is blurry vision or decreased vision at near or far. Often, the blurry vision associated with cataracts is caused by the increased clouding of the lens of your eye. 

The clouding caused by cataracts means that less light can get through the lens, making objects in the distance fuzzy and indistinct.

4. Difficulty Seeing in Low Light

While holiday lights and holiday decorations are a significant part of the season, holiday parties are a definite highlight! An invitation to a holiday party means pulling out your ugliest holiday sweater and indulging in some of the tastiest foods of the year!

Your holiday party host is likely to want to set exactly the right holiday mood for their party, including a roaring fire and lots of candles. While low lights at a party may give everyone a special glow, if you have undiagnosed cataracts, it can be hard to see which fellow guest you are talking to or what sort of holiday cookie you have just chosen off the platter.

Cataracts make it challenging to see clearly in low light. This is another effect of the clouding of the lens of the eye, which then limits the amount of light that can get into the eye, creating vision impairment.

5. Changes to the Color of the Pupil

Get your smile ready because the holidays are not only the season of celebration; they are the season of festive photos! From selfies by the fire to formal portraits of three generations all wearing the same pajamas, it’s unlikely that your holiday will go unphotographed!

If you notice that your eyes do not seem as clear as they once were in all the pictures taken before the tree, it may not just be bad lighting or a sudden flash. Clouding caused by cataracts can make obvious changes to the appearance of your eyes, making the pupils appear yellow or milky white.

It is this clouding that causes so many of the other signs of cataracts. The clouding of the eye prevents light from getting into the eye, negatively affecting the quality and clarity of your vision.

If your holiday season seems a little less bright as you notice the signs of cataracts, the eye care providers at Rocky Mountain Eye Center have effective cataract treatments which can restore your vision in time to clearly enjoy next year’s holidays!

Our cataract surgeons have years of experience performing vision-saving cataract surgery, and with the advancement of intraocular lenses, we offer premium replacement lenses that can not only restore, but also improve your vision!

Cataracts don’t have to ruin your holiday season. 

Are you noticing signs of cataracts? Schedule a cataract evaluation at Rocky Mountain Eye Center in Pueblo, CO, today!