What Do Cataracts Look Like?

I have found that the media has perpetuated a misconception about the appearance of cataracts, and so I wanted to share with you the scoop.

The first question is, what is a cataract?

The natural lens inside the eye is supposed to be clear, but with time it becomes clouded, and that is a cataract. As you can see in the picture below, the natural lens is located behind the pupil/iris which is the colored part of your eye (pictured in blue).

Given that the lens is located behind the iris, a cataract is virtually imperceptible. 95% of the time when I identify a cataract, I need to use my slit lamp, which is a specialized microscope.

Now, let me show you how cataracts are commonly portrayed in the media:

This is a picture from Smallville. Notice how the eyes look white? The reality is if an eye looked white like this, there would in fact be a problem with the cornea. As you can see in the diagram above, the cornea is the front surface of the eye which vaults over the location of the iris and lens. Despite what the media tells you, this is NOT what a cataract looks like. As I said before, a cataract is almost always imperceptable without a slit lamp aka a specialized microscope.

So, how would you know if you have a cataract?

The main symptoms are difficulty with glare at night, particularly from oncoming headlights. There can also be the appearance of halos around street lamps. Cataracts also cause progressive blurry vision which cannot be improved with glasses. The only treatment is to have them surgically removed; a very common, simple, and safe procedure. Cataracts are like looking through a dirty windshield; until the cataracts are removed (aka the windshield is cleaned), there is only so much that can be done to correct the vision with glasses.