Self-Test for Cataracts

 Any online search will bring up a multitude of results for self-test for cataracts. While they can be useful, all they simply ask you to do is answer a bunch of questions that are aiming to see if you have any potential symptoms.

You’ll notice that most of them also require a name and contact details. This is because they’re used by the eye clinic offering the “self-test” as a way of creating a lead. In other words, they want to connect with you as a potential patient.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with that… Far from it—because, if you do have a vision issue, then the sooner you get professional care, the better.

There is No Self-Test for Cataracts (but that doesn’t mean you don’t need testing)

• How cataracts are diagnosed
• What if I fill in one of those self-tests for cataracts forms?
• A cataract diagnosis is not the end of the world…

How cataracts are diagnosed

Let’s get one thing straight… There is no test that you can carry out at home that will definitively diagnose if you have cataracts or not. The only way that they can be picked up is by an eye examination from a healthcare professional. 

The thing is, most cataracts don’t have any symptoms until they’re pretty well evolved. They progress very, very slowly—over years (or decades)—and it’s only once they create a significant barrier to light passing smoothly through the eye that you begin to have visual symptoms. Even when they do start to manifest, it occurs so gradually that you probably won’t even notice it at first.

Even a test from an optician can’t definitively say if you have cataracts or not. Sure, they can carry out tests that might suggest you need further investigation. However, the diagnosis can only be made after an eye doctor examines your eyes with an ophthalmoscope, alongside other various eye tests.

What if I fill in one of those self-tests for cataracts forms?

Now, we’re not saying that these self-tests are a bad thing. Anything that encourages people to seek a professional assessment of their vision is a positive step toward taking responsibility for your own health.

If you do fill one in and it comes back as positive, all this means is that there’s a risk you might now or in the future suffer from the condition. Once you realize that cataracts are a natural aspect of aging and that everyone will develop them if they live long enough, you begin to see that such self-tests are actually more of a marketing tool. Anyone over the age of 50 will routinely be screened for cataracts at their annual or bi-annual eye exam. So, if you fill in one of these self-test forms and are 50+ years of age, then you’ll come back as being at risk

A cataract diagnosis is not the end of the world

Happily, if you’re diagnosed with cataracts then it’s no longer a sentence to blindness—far from it. Today’s simple cataract removal procedures are virtually 100% successful, with the operation being performed in the eye doctor’s office on a day-surgery basis. The operation only takes minutes and you won’t need a general anesthetic. Recovery is generally fast and you’ll be back to your regular lifestyle (with vastly improved vision within 6-8 weeks.

Get Expert Diagnosis at the WBEC (don’t agonize over a self-test for cataracts result)

This cold truth is that we will all suffer from cataracts if we’re lucky enough to live a good number of years. They’re an inevitable part of aging. But…, because they evolve so slowly, they don’t have any symptoms for at least the first few years.

The West Boca Eye Center is a leading facility in all things cataracts. Early diagnosis and monitoring until the right time for surgery will mean you don’t need to worry about cataracts blighting your vision.

Discover more about our cataract expertise at https://westbocaeyecenter.com/services/cataract-surgery/