Regaining Your Night Vision After Cataract Surgery

Cataracts can negatively affect your vision in many ways, including taking away your ability to see at night and in low-light conditions. As the safest and most effective treatment for the condition, cataract surgery can alleviate the symptoms of cataracts and reverse the limits they pose on your vision. One of the most pronounced benefits of cataract surgery is how it lets you regain your night vision.

When it begins, a cataract usually causes your vision to become blurred. Imagine looking through foggy glass and seeing everything look hazy. You may notice that through the affected eye, your surroundings appear to have a yellowish, more faded hue. Your contrast sensitivity will also have been reduced. This means you'll have a harder time perceiving the outlines of objects around you. As an effect, you'll have difficulty identifying letters in a page, reading signs, or writing.

Another common effect of cataracts is a reduction in your night vision. Because you can't see contrasts very well, you'll have a harder time seeing things in dim environments. You'll constantly need bright lights to help you see. When you do look at bright sources of light, you'll see halos or starburst that can be both annoying and disorienting. That said, cataracts make travelling or moving around at night more dangerous. If your job requires you to function at your best during nighttime, this can be devastating.

Cataract surgery takes out the damaged lens and replaces it with a clear implant called an intraocular lens (IOL). Because the cloudy lens has been eliminated, your vision pretty much returns to normal. You will be able to read and write with minimal dependence on contact lenses and eyeglasses. Along with being able to see more color, you will also see better at night. You won't see annoying halos either.

After the surgery, some patients experience refractive errors. If this happens to you, don't worry as this issue can be easily remedied by wearing prescription eyeglasses. For the best and clearest vision during nighttime, make sure that your glasses have an anti-reflective coating. This will allow you to see your surroundings comfortably even under low lighting conditions.

Conclusion

Losing or impairing your night vision because of cataracts can cause severe implications on your safety and will reduce your quality of life. Going through cataract surgery is the best way to address the problem. Once your cataracts are treated, you can expect significant improvements in your ability to see clearly at night and in low-light conditions.