Lately, you may be nervous about having to drive at night because you are unable to see as well as you once did. While you may be wondering whether you need glasses to see distances or have developed night blindness, there is another possible reason why you are having difficulty seeing. Your eyes may have developed cataracts. While being unable to see properly at night is a general sign, there are a couple of specific issues while driving at night that typically arise when you have cataracts.

1.  Words on Signs Appear Blurry and Hazy

One sign you may notice while driving at night that may indicate you have developed cataracts can be observed whenever you attempt to read the words on highway signs. Even if the signs and lettering are fairly large, they may appear blurry and hazy, as though you are trying to view them through filmy glass or a cloud.

If you feel that you are looking through a fog to read, cataracts are a strong possibility. When cataracts form, the corneas become cloudy, so in a way, you are trying to view the words through a fog. At night this problem is amplified because of the lack of ambient light to help you see through the cloudiness of the cornea.

2.  Light Sources Seem to Have a Ring Around Them

Another problem you may be experiencing while driving at night that could lead to cataracts as the issue is when any light sources seem to have a ring around them. Whenever you look at streetlamps, headlights, and other sources of light, a halo appears around them. Especially when you are in a lot of traffic, the multiple halos can make it difficult for you to see clearly.

When you have cataracts, these halos are caused by the refraction of the light through the corneas and fluid beneath them. Because the cataracts make the corneas cloudy, the light spreads through and around the cornea. This, in turn, sends a message to your brain that the lights spread out and create halos.

If you are having difficulty seeing while driving at night because of hazy images and light halos, your eyes may have developed cataracts. If you suspect that this may be the case, make an appointment with an ophthalmology office to have your eyes examined so that treatment may begin if they find that you have cataracts.

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