Determining Benefits of Cataract Surgery

This is a conversation you must have with your doctor. The benefits of surgery will depend on your eye and the activities you perform. Some important things to consider are:

1. What is the level of vision?

2. Are you bothered by your vision?

3. Do you drive?

4. Did you have good vision before you developed a cataract, or did you have amblyopia (lazy eye)?

5. Can your vision be corrected with glasses or contact lenses?

6. Do you have other symptoms that are bothering you besides blurry vision, such as difficulty driving at night due to glare and halos, or resolution of fine detail?

7. Are you able to perform your activities of daily living adequately? These include driving, working, cooking, reading, grocery shopping, recreational hobbies, and any other activities you need or want to perform in your life.

8. If you are not able to function adequately because of your vision, will removing the cataract help your vision, or do you have other eye diseases that will continue to limit your vision?

9. Does your particular eye have factors that may predispose you to complicated surgery? If so, might that affect your outcome?

10. What level of vision might you expect to achieve after surgery?

Everyone has different expectations after surgery; some have difficulty knowing what to expect. You must discuss this with your doctor, so you know if what you are expecting is consistent with what surgery can achieve for you. Cataract surgery can only correct you to the level of vision you were able to achieve before your cataract developed. For example, if you have amblyopia, or a lazy eye, and your best-corrected vision in your weak eye was 20/40 before you developed a cataract, then 20/40 is the best you can expect after your cataract is removed. So, removing your cataract will not solve other eye problems, only those created specifically by your cataract.