The first picture shows the visual quality in a patient before developing a cataract; the middle and last images show the effect of early-stage and advanced cataract, respectively.
Normal vision
Early-stage cataract
Advanced cataract
Early symptoms include increased glare, an need for brighter lighting when reading, and needing a longer time to adjust to changes in ambient lighting.
Light is scattered by the cataract
In later stages, people’s visual acuity gradually decreases and can not be properly corrected even with glasses. In addition, patients become even more short-sighted due to the compression of the lens. Sometimes, this can mean that people can see near objects without reading glasses, but this effect is only temporary. If left untreated, cataracts can become completely opaque, blocking light and eventually leading to blindness.
