Cataracts
Cataracts are another problem affecting our vision as we age. Having cataracts and presbyopia can significantly affect your vision and affect every aspect of your life, from reading and using the computer to cooking, watching TV, and driving, particularly at night. To understand presbyopia and cataracts and how these conditions affect your vision it is important to understand how your eye works.
Your eye works much like a camera. Light passes through the lens of the camera and is focused on the film. Our eye also has a lens. Normally this lens is transparent and lets light pass freely and is focused on the back of the eye called the retina. A cataract is a change to the natural crystalline lens of the eye. As we age the natural lens of the eye can become clouded and light rays become scattered and no longer pass clearly through to the retina. At first, this cloudiness may affect only a small part of the lens, but over time the cataract becomes harder and darker and vision decreases significantly. As cataracts develop, all objects whether near or far become blurred, and vision usually worsens. One of the first signs of cataracts is the inability to see in low light situations or at night. Other indicators include hazy or blurred vision, faded colors, or sensitivity to light.