Specialty Vision · Vision symptoms
Why do I see halos around lights at night?
Halos are bright rings or starbursts that bloom around lamps and headlights, most obvious at night.
What it looks like
Halos happen when light scatters as it passes through the eye instead of focusing cleanly. The most common cause is a clouding lens (cataract); dry eye, corneal swelling, and the after-effects of refractive surgery can also cause them. Halos that come on with eye pain, redness or rapidly blurring vision can signal a more urgent problem.
When to see an eye doctor
Halos that build slowly are usually a routine concern (often a cataract) worth an eye exam. Seek urgent care if halos come with eye pain, redness, or rapidly blurring vision.
Seek urgent care for:
- Halos with eye pain and a red eye
- Halos with rapidly worsening vision
- Sudden halos with nausea or headache
Frequently asked questions
Do halos mean I have cataracts?
Often, yes — cataracts are the most common cause of halos and night glare. But dry eye, corneal swelling and refractive surgery can also cause them, so an eye exam pinpoints the reason.
Can halos be treated?
Usually. If a cataract is the cause, surgery removes the halos; if dry eye is the cause, lubrication and treating the surface helps.
Sources
- What Are Cataracts? — American Academy of Ophthalmology