Is Your Blurry Vision a Sign of Cataracts or Something Else?

There are many reasons that you can get blurry vision. When cataracts are the underlying cause, the transition to significant visual distortion generally increases gradually over many years, especially in the case of age-related cataracts.

But there are many other blurry vision causes—some easy to self-rectify and others that require more clinical input. 

Simple Blurry Vision Causes and How to Self-Treat

Some of the most common reasons that your vision might go a bit blurry include:

• Dry eyes: This is when the tear ducts don’t produce tears of a good enough quality to sufficiently lubricate the eyes. The name is a bit confusing as it actually makes them water more. It’s more common as you age, but can also be exacerbated by wind, allergens, or even dehydration. Artificial tears help in most cases, but if it’s very severe then seek advice from an ophthalmologist.
• Eye strain: Excessive screen time, reading for long periods, long journeys driving in the dark… Make sure you take regular breaks from whatever activity it is, wear eyeglasses if you have them, and mention it when you go for your next regular eye exam.
• Migraine: Many people suffer from an aura before or during a migraine attack, which can cause blurry vision. If you know this is the cause, then take appropriate pain relief/medication and rest. However, if it’s the first time it has happened, then you should get professional advice.

Other simple, easy to treat, and not-so-serious causes include refractive errors, like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. These need to be diagnosed and the right corrective prescription put in place, so book an eye test as soon as possible.

More Serious Causes of Blurry Vision

Blurry vision is a symptom of many more complex eye issues. We’ve already mentioned cataracts, but other reasons can be:

• Macular degeneration: Often age-related (AMD), this affects central vision. It needs a fast diagnosis and ongoing care from a specialist.
• Diabetes: All types of diabetes cause diabetic eye disease, which causes damage to the blood vessels at the back of the eye. If you suffer, you should be regularly monitored for any eye structure changes and take good steps to keep your blood sugar under control.
• Infection: Inflammation and infection within the eye can range from being mild (like pink eye/conjunctivitis) to the more serious, such as uveitis, keratitis, endophthalmitis, and orbital cellulitis. All require medical assessment and treatment.
• Glaucoma: This is when you have raised pressure within the eye. Again, this requires quick diagnosis, close monitoring, and expert medical attention.
• Stroke or another neurological problem: Anything that involves the nerves can cause visual changes, all of which are medical emergencies.

Cataracts vs. Macular Degeneration

While both conditions can occur in isolation, it’s also possible to have both. A quick comparison is that cataracts affect the lens within the eye and macular degeneration affects a part of the retina, called the macular.

When comparing symptoms, cataracts tend to cause whole-eye vision changes, with blurriness and distortion, issues seeing in low light, faded colors, and halos around light sources. 

Macular degeneration only affects central vision, causing blurry areas and/or blind spots and making straight lines appear wavy. It can also affect how you see colors and your ability to see well in low light.

Only an ophthalmologist can conclusively diagnose whether it’s cataracts and/or macular degeneration.

The most important takeaway is that any visual changes should be checked out by your eye doctor. 

If you experience an onset of sudden blurry vision that has no obvious cause (such as a fly in your eye, too many non-stop hours of screen time, hayfever, etc.), then this should be urgently assessed by a medical professional. Ideally, this should be an eye doctor, but if it’s out of hours or you’re not close to your regular provider, then this would warrant a visit to the local emergency department.

If you’re looking for the best care for eye conditions in Boca Raton, FL, then you’re in luck! You have one of the country’s leading clinics, the West Boca Eye Center, right on your doorstep with the facilities and expertise to diagnose and treat all your vision-related needs.

Find out more at https://www.westbocaeyecenter.com/services/routine-eye-care and call today to book an appointment

There are many reasons that you can get blurry vision. When cataracts are the underlying cause, the transition to significant visual distortion generally increases gradually over many years, especially in the case of age-related cataracts.

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