Do Colors Look Different After Cataract Surgery?

One of the symptoms of advancing cataracts is that colors start to appear muted or yellowed. Because of this, when you undergo surgery to remove the cataract and restore your vision, then yes±—colors can look very different after cataract surgery. 

This is a good thing, but it can come as a bit of a surprise. Forewarned, however, is forearmed. So, let’s look at exactly why this is—and why it’s something that you should actively be looking forward to.

Cataract Surgery and the Color-Changing Mystery… 

• The long road to a dimmer world
• Do colors look different after cataract surgery? Yes, they do—and this is why

The long road to a dimmer world 

To understand the color-changing conundrum, we first need to know a little about what vision is and how cataracts change this.

What we call “vision” is actually a transference of light signals. Light enters the eye and travels through the lens before hitting a thin layer of cells at the back of the eye—called the retina. This is attached to the optic nerve and serves as a pathway for the light to travel to a part of the brain called the occipital lobe. 

Here, the signals are translated into what we see—size, distance, movement, shape, and—of course—color.

When cataracts form, which generally takes many years—or even decades—they block how the light flows through the eye. This very gradually becomes more and more disrupted. Therefore, the signals traveling along the visual pathway also change. In response, the vision center in the brain gradually alters to decipher these increasingly garbled messages. The result is that vision becomes distorted—and colors become muted and often yellowed over time.

Other symptoms also occur, such as blurring, seeing halos around lights, double vision, etc.

Do colors look different after cataract surgery? Yes, they do—and this is why

When you have a cataract removed, the light can once again flow unobstructed through the eye. Suddenly, the brain is receiving the correct signals after a long time of disruption. This means that it can, once again, translate these more accurately—with one obvious result being that colors appear far brighter.

Of course, your brain has spent an awfully long time dealing with jumbled signals, so it can take a few days or weeks for it to relearn how to deal with all this new information. Thankfully, the brain is an extremely adaptable organ. This is why many people have an almost miraculous result after surgery, with an almost immediate improvement in what they see.

Some people take a little longer, with their eyesight settling down more gradually over the postoperative days and weeks. 

Your ophthalmologist will recommend that you begin to use your eye almost straight away after surgery. Simple actions, such as watching TV, reading, and using a computer all stimulate the neural pathway, helping restore it to those happy pre-cataract days.

All you need to do is bask in the pleasure of seeing the world in all its technicolor glory once again…

Ready to Brighten Up Your Life. Talk to the WBEC About Cataract Care and Surgery 

Everyone—if we live to a ripe old age—will eventually be diagnosed with age-related cataracts. And there’s nowhere better in the US to entrust your treatment than the West Boca Eye Center.

Led by Dr. Brent Bellotte, the clinic leads the way in advanced cataract procedures, treating even the most complex cases. If you’re worried about cataracts or have had a diagnosis and are ready to rediscover the world in all its glorious shades and hues, then we need to talk.

Start your journey at https://www.westbocaeyecenter.com/ and call our expert team today to schedule a consultation.