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Cataract Self-Test

Answer a few questions about your vision and we will tell you whether your symptoms are among those commonly associated with cataracts, and whether it is worth booking an exam.

Takes about 2 minutes

Important

When Not to Use This Quiz

Seek prompt medical attention rather than relying on this quiz if you experience sudden vision loss, a sudden increase in floaters or flashes of light, a curtain or shadow across your vision, or eye pain. These can be signs of a retinal problem or another urgent condition unrelated to cataracts, and are not assessed here. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if the change is sudden or severe.

This Is an Educational Tool, Not a Diagnosis

This short quiz is meant to help you recognise symptoms and risk factors commonly associated with cataracts. It cannot diagnose a cataract, tell you how advanced one is, or decide whether you are a candidate for surgery — only a comprehensive, dilated eye exam by an eye doctor can do that. Please do not delay booking an exam based on your result here, in either direction.

Answer the questions below based on how your vision has been over the past several months.

Symptoms

1. Is your vision blurry, cloudy, foggy or “filmy” — even with your current glasses or contacts?
2. Do lights — headlights, streetlights, lamps — seem to have glare, halos or starbursts around them, especially at night?
3. Has night driving become noticeably more difficult or uncomfortable?
4. Do colours look faded, yellowed or less vivid than they used to?
5. Have you noticed double vision or “ghosting” of images in one eye, which goes away when you cover that eye?
6. Do you need noticeably brighter light to read, cook or do other close-up tasks than you used to?
7. Has your glasses or contact lens prescription changed more than once in the past year or two?
8. Are you avoiding, or having trouble with, activities such as reading, driving, recognising faces or watching television because of your vision?

Background and History

9. Are you aged 60 or older?
10. Do you have diabetes?
11. Has a parent or sibling been diagnosed with cataracts?
12. Have you had a previous eye injury, eye inflammation or eye surgery, or used steroid medication — tablets, inhalers or eye drops — for a prolonged period?
13. Do you smoke, or have you had significant lifetime sun exposure without regularly wearing sunglasses?

Ready to Find Out for Certain?

The only way to know whether you have a cataract — and whether surgery would help — is a comprehensive eye exam with dilation. Our team can evaluate your vision and talk you through the options.

Book an Eye Exam