What are the consequences of not treating cataracts?

Blindness: Untreated cataracts can lead to blindness. Usually cataract surgery is recommended when the amount of vision loss is bad enought to cause the person difficulty functioning in their daily lives.

Poor vision: Although advanced cataracts can lead to legal blindness it is revesable with surgery. Very long-standing cataracts can lead to glaucoma due to swelling or leakage of protein and the glaucoma can cause blindness, this can be averted with cataract surgery and medications if treated soon enough. This is very rare today but still occurs in under treated population. Fractured hip is associated also.

Poor vision: If cataracts are not treated, vision will progressively get worse until the patient can only see light. In rare cases, the pressure in the eye can increase and cause glaucoma.

Blurred vision: In adults, cataract surgery is usually considered elective, i.e. There is not a large downside to deferring surgery other than blurred or cloudy vision. An exception would be in cases of pseudoexfoliation, in which waiting may increase the risk of complications of surgery. In children this is a very different story -- it is important to identify and treat any cause of decreased vision in kids.

Progressive loss : It is a progressive worsening of the vision. The natural lens before cataract formation is clear but after cataract development ( due to age, trauma, disease or medication) it will become hazy/brown. At the advance stage it will turn into dark brown or white that leads to blindness. Mature cataract on rare occasion may cause reversible glaucoma. Cataract surgery will fix both conditions.

See below. : Continued clouding of the lens with continued loss of visual acuity, reventually leading to blindness.