What is a potential complication of untreated cataracts?

Untreated cataracts can lead to a significant risk of blindness. Cataracts cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy, which progressively obscures vision. If they are not addressed, the ongoing opacity of the lens can lead to severe visual impairment and ultimately complete loss of vision in the affected eye. This blindness occurs as the cataracts worsen, leading to impaired light passage and vision clarity.

While glaucoma is related to increased intraocular pressure and may occur independently of cataracts, it is not a direct complication of cataracts themselves. Myopia is a refractive error also unrelated to cataracts, and tinnitus is an auditory condition that does not pertain to eye health. Therefore, the most direct and serious consequence of untreated cataracts is indeed blindness.