Cataracts are an eye ailment that is characterized by the formation of a cloudy substance in the previously transparent capsule of the human eye lens.

This is a common ailment that is found in millions of people in different parts of the world, and the signs and symptoms include blurring of vision and poor night vision, which may culminate in total blindness if not treated.

In addition to this, the question that stands out as a recurring theme is whether one can have his or her cataracts confirmed with the help of home remedies or a simple test.

This article also looks at how you can diagnose cataracts at home with easy techniques and tests and home cataract screening measures, which assist in indicating the first signs of cataracts. 

How to test for Cataracts at home

Understanding Cataracts: What are They?

Cataracts can be defined as a case whereby the eye's lens is slightly blurred because its proteins form some groups, making it impossible for vision to be clear. Cataracts are usually separated into different types, such as nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular cataracts, and these may show more detailed signs and symptoms.

Starting signs consistent: focusing on shapes and details, increased photophobia, vision deterioration at night, and color paleness.

Early Signs of Cataracts at Home

Depending on the situation, one should recognize the symptoms of cataracts early to avoid further decline of the condition or seek help. Some early signs of cataracts that you can detect at home include: The following are some of the symptoms that one may observe at the initial stage and, if not attended, can develop to full fledge cataracts;

Blurry or Cloudy Vision: The initial signs of cataracts usually include some level of hazy vision of objects in the surroundings or blurring of vision. This stage brings up objects that may seem somewhat hazy, or even if one is wearing glasses, does not see as well as he or she expected.

Sensitivity to Light and Glare: There is driving at night, or the situation where the car's headlights are on and during the day when the light can dazzle you.

Difficulty Seeing at Night: This is because the eyes of cataract patients are usually not able to focus properly or even at all in lightless environments, for instance, when it is dark at night. This can be in the form of halos around light sources or difficulty in operating a vehicle during the night.

Double Vision in One Eye: In this connection, one may get a binocular visual field defect where one may develop double vision in one eye or other vision problems associated with cataracts.

Fading or Yellowing of Colors: Due to cataracts, the brightness of the colors may seem washed out or, indeed, rather dull. Cognitive changes, including visual perception, might also be apparent, and this is evidenced by the yellowing of objects.

How You Can Check for Cataracts at Home?

Even though one is supposed to visit an eye care professional for a cataract diagnosis, there are simple do-it-yourself diagnostic methods available. Here, you find out how to check for cataracts through the use of simple vision tests and questionnaires that can be conducted in the comfort of your home. How to test for Cataracts at home?

DIY Cataract Vision Test:

There is also a simple do-it-yourself cataract vision test that involves assessing one's vision when in different light intensities. This self-assessment can be done with everyday items around your home. This self-assessment can, therefore, be conducted by using items found within your home environment:

Test your vision in bright light: This is due to what is referred to as cataracts, which cause photosensitivity or formation of light and glare sensitivity.

That is why one should avoid sitting in dark places or inside a building with very little sunlight. If the vision becomes foggy, if the lights appear too dazzling, or if high-beam headlamps seem to disturb you, then you should suspect that cataracts might be forming.

Check your night vision: Unfortunately, in the development of cataracts, a person's eyesight, especially at night, becomes poor. To do this at home, close the lights, pick up a book and read, or better still, walk at night and look at the streetlights.

If you are unable to see things clearly or observe halos around lights, this could result in cataracts.

Self-Assessment for Cataracts:

Compare the clarity of your vision in both eyes: Abstract one eye, look at an object in the distance, e.g., a street sign or a clock. If you want to sneeze – then switch and cover the other eye. If one eye's vision seems much worse than the other, this may be a sign of a cataract in the worse eye.

Focus on color perception: For example, cataracts make colors seem less bright, which means that all objects appear relatively less colored. Check your visual perception of different colors in both your eyes by observing some brightly colored objects, such as a red or green piece of fabric.

If the person finds out that he or she has an impression that their left eye is not as bright as it used to be or if it looks more yellow than the right eye, then they have cataracts.

Home Methods for Detecting Cataracts: Contrast Sensitivity Test is a depression test sub-test that is used broadly to determine the ability of a given individual to establish contrast between two objects out of certain levels.

The other sign of cataracts is the ability to differentiate between dark and light areas of a picture. At the end of the first excerpt, the author explains that you can do a contrast sensitivity test.

Home using printed material:

Read printed text in different lighting conditions: Cataracts often affect the ability to read small text, especially in low light. Find a piece of printed material, such as a newspaper or a book. Try reading it in both well-lit and dimly-lit environments. If you notice more difficulty in reading in low light, it may be due to cataracts affecting contrast sensitivity.

Cataract Home Screening Guide

Although these self-assessments can be helpful, they are not definitive diagnoses. Home methods for detecting cataracts should only be viewed as a screening tool. Any of these signs, or if you feel you are developing cataracts, should ensure you visit an ophthalmologist for an eye assessment.

In diagnosing cataracts, ophthalmologists use what cannot be done at home, such as the slit-lamp examination, the visual acuity test, and the dilated eye examination. However, getting symptoms through self-diagnosis can ensure one book an appointment with the doctor for an eye checkup to treat cataracts before they worsen vision.

What Should You Do If You Think You Have Them?:

If your DIY cataract vision test or cataract self-quiz indicates that you could be affected by the disease, then you ought to consult your doctor.

Schedule an Eye Exam: Reach an eye care professional and describe with precise regards the symptoms as you have exercised in your home cataract diagnosis. They can do a physical examination to establish if you are among the people with cataracts.

Make Lifestyle Adjustments: The following are some recommendations you can take until you get professional treatment for cataracts. To illustrate, wearing Cataract sunglasses with protection from UV rays, reading under brighter light, and minimizing night vision problems, such as driving at night, will help mitigate some vision problems, as seen in cataracts.

Consider Cataract Surgery: If there is a problem with cataracts, it is suggested to take the operation. Cataract surgery has been known to have very good results, and most patients who have undergone the surgery experience improved vision. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has claimed that at least 90 percent of patients who have opted to be operated on for cataracts report improvement in their vision.

It is impossible to self-diagnose cataracts, but there exist ways through which one can practice how to diagnose cataracts when they begin to appear. For example, a simple test where you use a finger to check whether you can discern shapes from a distance and a test where you turn out the lights to check whether or not your vision is blurry are some of the ways through which one can diagnose cataracts at home.

But if you have any signs during this self-check, you should visit an ophthalmologist and get a proper diagnosis of the problem, and, if necessary, learn about the treatment, such as cataract surgery, to retain or recover your vision.