March is Save Your Vision Month, a time to raise awareness about eye health and the conditions that can impact your ability to see clearly. For many adults and seniors in Queens, New York, cataracts are one of the most common vision challenges they face. If you’ve noticed changes in your eyesight—like increasing glare from headlights at night or difficulty reading small print—it could be an early sign of cataracts.

Cataracts don’t develop overnight. In the early stages, the lens of the eye starts to become cloudy, but the changes may be so gradual that you don’t even notice them at first. Some of the first signs include:

• Slightly blurred or hazy vision
  
  

• Increased sensitivity to light and glare, especially at night
  
  

• Colors appearing less vibrant or more yellowed
  
  

• Trouble seeing in dim lighting
  
  

• Frequent prescription changes in glasses or contact lenses
  
  

At this stage, you might think your glasses just aren’t strong enough or that your eyes are adjusting to age-related changes. But if these issues persist, it’s time to schedule an eye exam.

As cataracts progress, their impact on daily life becomes more apparent. You might struggle to read street signs or recognize faces from a distance. Driving at night can become especially challenging due to halos and glare from headlights.

In this stage, many patients adjust their lifestyle to accommodate vision changes—avoiding night driving, relying on brighter lights for reading, or increasing font sizes on devices. While stronger glasses may help for a while, they won’t stop the progression of cataracts.

Left untreated, cataracts continue to thicken and darken, significantly reducing vision. By this stage, daily activities like reading, watching TV, or navigating familiar spaces become difficult. Some individuals experience double vision in one eye, and even with glasses, vision remains blurry.

At this point, the only effective treatment is cataract surgery, which involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a clear, artificial lens. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective procedures, with a high success rate in restoring vision.