Medically reviewed by Steven H. Suh, MD, Director of Cataract Surgery, certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. Reviewed Oct. 20, 2026
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye, the clear part behind the pupil that focuses light. As the lens clouds, vision turns blurry, hazy, or less colorful, and lamps and headlights can seem too bright. Most cataracts come with age, and a dilated eye exam is how an eye doctor finds one.
Key facts about cataracts
- What a cataract is: a cloudy area in the eye’s natural lens.
- What it changes: sharpness, color, contrast, and comfort around bright lights.
- Most common cause: proteins in the lens breaking down with age.
- How it is found: a dilated eye exam and a slit lamp examination.
- Early treatment: a new glasses prescription and better lighting.
- Treatment when it interferes with daily life: surgery to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial lens.
- Where we treat it: the Cataract Center at Comprehensive EyeCare of Central Ohio in Westerville, led by Steven H. Suh, MD, Director of Cataract Surgery.
What a cataract is
The lens of the eye is normally clear. It sits behind the pupil and works like the lens of a camera, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye so you can see fine detail. A cataract clouds that lens. The American Academy of Ophthalmology defines a cataract as a degradation of the optical quality of the crystalline lens that affects vision. In plain words, light no longer passes through the lens cleanly, so the picture reaching the retina is softer and dimmer than it should be.
Cataracts develop slowly, and they do not hurt. Many people notice the change only when reading gets harder, night driving feels different, or a new glasses prescription stops helping the way it used to.
At Comprehensive EyeCare of Central Ohio, cataracts are evaluated and treated through our Cataract Center, led by Steven H. Suh, MD, Director of Cataract Surgery, in the same Westerville building where our ophthalmologists and optometrists see patients.
How a cataract changes your vision
Because the lens clouds gradually, the symptoms tend to creep in rather than arrive all at once. The National Eye Institute lists these signs of a cataract:
- Your vision is cloudy or blurry.
- Colors look faded.
- You cannot see well at night.
- Lamps, sunlight, or headlights seem too bright.
- You see a halo around lights.
- You see double.
- You have to change the prescription for your glasses or contact lenses often.
Glare and halos matter most on the road after dark. The American Academy of Ophthalmology names daytime or nighttime glare, halos and starbursts at night, especially while driving, and reduced reading speed as signs that a cataract is affecting how well a person functions.
Blurry vision or halos can be a sign of a cataract. They can also be signs of other eye problems, which is why the National Eye Institute advises talking with your eye doctor about any of them. An exam at our office determines the cause.
What causes cataracts, and who is at higher risk
Age is the main cause. The National Eye Institute explains that most cataracts are related to age and happen because of normal changes in the eye as a person gets older. Proteins in the lens begin to break down, and over time the lens becomes cloudy.
Cataracts can also form for other reasons, such as after an eye injury. MedlinePlus lists factors that may speed cataract formation: diabetes, eye inflammation or injury, a family history of cataracts, long term use of corticosteroid medicines, radiation exposure, smoking, prior eye surgery, and exposure to ultraviolet light. If you take a corticosteroid, do not stop it on your own; tell us about it at your exam so it is part of the picture.
Cataracts are common. The National Eye Institute states that more than half of all Americans age 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to remove them.
For protecting your eyes, the National Eye Institute’s advice is to wear sunglasses and a hat with a brim to block the sun, to quit smoking, and to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains. Those habits support your eye health in general. Once a cataract has formed, surgery is the only way to remove it.
How a cataract is found
A dilated eye exam is how an eye doctor checks for cataracts. Drops widen the pupil so the lens and the back of the eye can be examined, and a slit lamp examination, a microscope with a bright light, lets the doctor see the lens in detail. The National Eye Institute advises a dilated eye exam every 1 to 2 years from age 60.
At Comprehensive EyeCare of Central Ohio, that exam happens at our Westerville office. If a cataract is found and it is getting in the way of your daily life, the next step is a cataract evaluation, where the surgery itself and your lens choices are discussed with you.
How cataracts are treated
Early on, a cataract is managed rather than removed. A new prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses can help you see better at this stage, and brighter lights at home or work, magnifying lenses for reading, and sunglasses to cut glare can make everyday tasks easier.
Surgery is the only way to remove a cataract, and you may not need it right away. MedlinePlus puts it simply: if a cataract is not making it hard for you to see, surgery is usually not needed. The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s guideline states the primary indication for cataract surgery as a decline in visual function such that it no longer meets a patient’s visual needs and for which surgery provides a reasonable likelihood of improvement. That is a decision made with you, around what you need to see for.
During cataract surgery, the surgeon removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial lens. At Comprehensive EyeCare of Central Ohio, cataract surgery in Westerville is performed through our Cataract Center. The replacement lens comes in several classes, and the choice is part of your evaluation; our page on lens options after cataract surgery describes them.
When to see someone
The National Eye Institute’s guidance is direct: talk with your eye doctor if you have any of the symptoms above, and tell your doctor if cataracts are getting in the way of your everyday activities, such as driving, reading, or your work. That conversation is where the timing of treatment is worked out.
Cataracts develop slowly. A sudden change is a different matter. MedlinePlus lists these as symptoms that need emergency care: partial or complete loss of vision in one or both eyes, even if it is only temporary; double vision, even if it is temporary; a sensation of a shade being pulled over your eyes or a curtain being drawn from the side, above, or below; and sudden blurred vision with eye pain, particularly if the eye is also red. If any of these happens, call us right away at 614-890-5692, or go to an emergency department.
Questions patients ask about cataracts
Are cataracts painful?
No. Cataracts develop slowly and do not cause pain. Eye pain with blurred vision is not a typical cataract symptom and needs attention the same day.
Can a cataract be treated without surgery?
Early on, a cataract can be managed without surgery. A new glasses or contact lens prescription, brighter lighting, magnifying lenses, and sunglasses for glare can help you see better for a time. Surgery is the only way to remove a cataract.
If I have a cataract, do I need surgery right away?
Usually not. The National Eye Institute notes that you may not need surgery right away, and MedlinePlus adds that if a cataract is not making it hard for you to see, surgery is usually not needed. Surgery is considered when the cataract no longer lets you see well enough for what you need to do, and when surgery offers a reasonable likelihood of improvement.
Can a cataract come back after surgery?
No. Once the cloudy lens is removed, it does not return. Months or years later, some people develop a clouding of the thin capsule that holds the artificial lens, known as posterior capsule opacification or a secondary cataract. The National Eye Institute notes that an eye doctor can treat it with laser treatment; at our practice, that laser procedure is performed in the office.
How often should I have my eyes checked for cataracts?
The National Eye Institute advises a dilated eye exam every 1 to 2 years from age 60. Your eye doctor may recommend a different schedule based on your health and your eyes, for example if you have diabetes.
Keep reading
- Cataract surgery in Westerville: our Cataract Center, from evaluation through surgery.
- Lens options after cataract surgery: the classes of replacement lens and how the choice is made.
- Take our cataract self-test: a short questionnaire about the symptoms worth an exam.
Schedule an eye exam in Westerville
If your vision has changed, call Comprehensive EyeCare of Central Ohio at 614-890-5692 or send a message through our contact form. Our office is at 450 Alkyre Run Drive, Suite 100, Westerville, Ohio 43082. We see patients Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Sources
- National Eye Institute, Cataracts, last updated November 15, 2023, https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/cataracts, accessed 10/12/2026.
- MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), Cataract, review date 07/24/2025, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001001.htm, accessed 10/12/2026.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology, Cataract in the Adult Eye Preferred Practice Pattern, approved October 13, 2021, Ophthalmology 2022;129:P1-P126, https://www.aao.org/Assets/1d1ddbad-c41c-43fc-b5d3-3724fadc5434/637723154868200000/cataract-in-the-adult-eye-ppp-pdf, accessed 10/12/2026.
- National Eye Institute, Cataract Surgery, https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/cataracts/cataract-surgery, accessed 10/12/2026.
- MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), Vision problems, review date 08/05/2024, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003029.htm, accessed 10/12/2026.
