What are the Symptoms of Cataracts?
Faded or Dull Colors
As the lens of the eye ages, it takes on a yellowish and then a brownish tint, which changes the way we see colors.
We may not even notice that the colors we are seeing have become dull or faded until the symptom is severe. Things that we know to be white, like a clean sheet of paper, look dingy or even dirty; flowers that we remember as bright take on a dullness. These symptoms are a sign that the lens of the eye is changing from yellow to brown and that it is time to see the eye doctor.
A certain amount of yellowing of the lens over time is normal, does not constitute a cataract and is actually beneficial.
Faded or Dull Colors – Medical Detail
The lens of the eye develops a yellow tint as a natural response to exposure to light; yellow being the color that naturally filters blue. Blue light has the highest amount of energy in the visible light spectrum, ranging from 400 to 500 nanometers (nm), and is a component of both solar radiation and artificial light. While some blue light waves contribute to color perception, other high-energy wavelengths of blue light may actually be harmful to your eye. It is this blue light that is suspected to be damaging to the retina, possibly even contributing to macular degeneration.
However, as we age, the yellow can turn to brown. When this happens, the lens is considered brunescent. Looking at the world through a brunescent lens is much like looking at the world through a sheet of Plexiglas that has discolored in the sun: things look dirty and dingy.
Learn about cataract treatments that filter blue light.
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Copyright © 2010 Alcon, Inc., a global company based in Hünenberg, Switzerland. The information on this site is intended for U.S. audiences and is not to be interpreted as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor.
