Typical signs include blurred or hazy vision, haloes and glare around lights, and colours looking less vibrant. Many people notice that night driving becomes difficult or that their glasses prescription changes more often than usual; an eye examination confirms the diagnosis.

For the technically minded: On slit‑lamp examination, nuclear sclerosis reduces contrast and induces myopic shift, cortical cataract produces radial spokes causing disability glare, and posterior subcapsular cataract near the nodal point disproportionately impairs near vision and bright‑light acuity. Objective scatter index and contrast sensitivity testing can quantify functional impact.