Can incipient cataracts be diagnosed with a slit-lamp examination? any additional tests required if slit lamp doesn't reveal anything?

Yes : Also shows retina, nerve and macula, and anterior chamber and with pressures can detect glaucoma as part of complete eye exam.

Yes. No. : Diagnosis of a cataract, whether incipient or otherwise, is best done through a dilated pupil under slit lamp examination by a trained ophthalmologist. Additional testing may be performed to ascertain impact on vision, however nothing else is required to diagnose.