Just as the lenses in a pair of glasses can get smudged or pick up fingerprints, the lens in our eye becomes cloudy as we get older. This happens when the proteins that make up the lenses in our eyes slowly congeal into clumps, causing common cataract symptoms like blurry vision, sensitivity to bright light, and difficulty reading. Cataracts are a common, entirely normal part of aging. Though younger adults can develop cataracts — especially those who’ve experienced a serious eye injury or who have certain medical conditions like diabetes — older adults are far more likely to develop them.

Because cataracts develop slowly, the first small signs are easy for most people to overlook. Most people don’t seek treatment for cataracts until they begin to noticeably interfere with their vision. Besides blurry vision, other symptoms of cataracts include:

• Blurred or cloudy vision
• Difficulty seeing at night
• “Halos” around bright lights (especially at night)
• Sensitivity to bright light and glare
• Need for brighter lights for reading and other close-up activities
• Double vision or multiple images in one eye
• A faded or yellowish hue to bright colors
• The need for frequent adjustments to glasses or contact lens prescriptions

Once you and your surgeon decide that it’s time for cataract surgery, you will likely have lots of questions about the procedure itself. A typical cataract surgery involves a few simple steps and takes only about 30 minutes:

• First, a surgeon numbs your eye and the surrounding area with a local anesthetic.
• Next, they make a small incision in the front of your eye, which allows them to easily remove the lens that is clouded by a cataract.
• They then replace the old lens with a new artificial lens (called an intraocular lens) made from acrylic, plastic, or silicone.
• As your eye heals, it fuses with the new lens, and your vision begins to become clearer.

While having eye surgery can seem scary or intimidating, modern cataract surgery is minimally invasive, and your recovery will likely be shorter and less painful than you may expect. It typically takes about four weeks to fully recover from surgery, but you should notice your vision gradually becoming clearer and more focused as the days pass.

• Immediately following your procedure, you may notice that your eye feels sore, irritated, or itchy — all of which are normal.
• In the days and weeks following your procedure, you’ll need to schedule several follow-up appointments with your surgeon to make sure your eye is healing properly.