# In YOUR opinion, when’s the best time to get cataract surgery? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189 "2024-06-22T02:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/121 "2025-07-09T20:11:09Z")
Hooray!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/122 "2025-07-16T17:11:25Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > Eye 2 done. Things are brighter and clearer. Now onto letting things settle and finding the near vision sweet spot. Congrats!! Don’t forget to get a note from the doctor so you can have the corrective lenses restriction removed from your driver’s license. I didn’t do that for a while. If i’d gotten pulled over, I could have been cited for not wearing my glasses. I did take care of it a year or so after the surgeries. I’m 6+ years post-op now. Still seeing okay for distances - in fact I had my full checkup just yesterday. I mentioned I was going to the DMV later this week to get my license renewed and he said “want a note?”. I was confused, but apparently they can take a doctor’s note from within the last 90 days and waive the on-site vision screening. > [@aceplace57](#): > > My depth perception is off a little bit. Cutting my fingernails is weird. I have to concentrate more to place the clippers. > > I had accumulated a protein film on my lenses. The doc zapped it off five months ago I’m a terrible fingernail biter so that hasn’t been an issue, but my toenails are a hassle (mild diabetic neuropathy doesn’t help). Might be better if I were limber enough to bite those, too, LOL. I had the posterior capsular opacification as well. I had the eyes done a week or two apart. The second one was annoying: I knew I couldn’t drive myself, so I took a Lyft to the office. Afterward, the zapped eye was blurry, and the one done before was blurry because he dilated it to check on it. I could barely read my phone to call for my Lyft. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/123 "2025-07-16T18:51:00Z")
I’m a little over a year post-cataract surgery now and I’m now reminded to ask about post-capsular opacification. That will have to wait for January and my next regular scheduled visit (unless something comes up, but I sure hope not). ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/124 "2025-07-16T19:29:14Z")
Well, it’s been exactly a month since I had my eye done, and I have to say I am bit disappointed. Things are certainly whiter and brighter, but my distance vision isn’t any better in the ‘new’ eye than in my other eye, which still has a cataract. I really thought I’d be seeing at distance much better than I am. I do have astigmatism, but I was told it wasn’t bad enough to justify a toric lens. So when I go to my appointment on Friday for my last post-op I’m going to ask why things aren’t better than they are. They’ll be measuring me for glasses too, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Rx says. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/125 "2025-07-16T20:03:52Z")
How is your near vision? ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/126 "2025-07-16T20:17:40Z")
When I just use the ‘new’ eye, the clearest things are about 3-4 feet away - closer and farther get blurry. Weirdly, I can read email on my phone using both eyes holding it at a normal distance, and if I hold it a little farther away I can see it fine with the ‘new’ eye alone. The doctor said I wouldn’t be able to do that, but I can. There’s definitely a refraction error of some type - when I went in for my last post-op, I could see much better through the pinhole viewer than I can with that eye uncovered. Apparently my eye didn’t read the textbook on how this was supposed to go. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/127 "2025-07-16T20:37:33Z")
I have investigated cataract surgery, and my doctor says it’s not completely predictable. She says she always starts with the non-dominant eye, because how that one goes is very productive of how the other eye will go. But if you have clear vision at some distance, glasses should be able to give you the vision you need. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/128 "2025-07-16T20:43:43Z")
Yes, this is making me hesitant about doing the other eye. Financially, it would be a good idea to do it this year. If this is all I am going to get out of it, though, it’s not exactly an awesome result. I’m saying this as someone who used to have excellent eyesight, though, so my perspective is likely quite different from someone who hasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/129 "2025-07-16T20:45:25Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I do have astigmatism, but I was told it wasn’t bad enough to justify a toric lens. In other words you have the same degree of astigmatism you did pre-op. Astigmatism is due to an eyeball defect, not a lens defect. If you didn’t get a toric lens that was a decision to need external astigmatism correction post-op. I’m not suggesting you made a poor decision. I’m astigmatic too and may well forego toric lenses when it’s my turn. There are definitely tradeoffs there. Sounds tome more like an expectations vs reality disconnect. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/130 "2025-07-16T20:47:43Z")
Whereas most of my life i have had excellent corrected eyesight. I haven’t been able to see distance without lenses since i was a kid. But my corrected vision has been better than my husband’s for ages, and until recently was really superb. I never understood people who tolerated dirty glasses. The first indication i had of cataracts was when i kept cleaning my glasses and it didn’t work. My vision is still better than my husband’s, and my eye doctors don’t think I’ll gain a lot from character surgery. But my vision is much worse than it was, and i find it frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/131 "2025-07-16T20:48:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If you didn’t get a toric lens that was a decision to need external astigmatism correction post-op. I was told by my doctor my astigmatism wasn’t bad enough for a toric lens. So it wasn’t on the table to make a decision about. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/132 "2025-07-16T21:27:02Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I’m saying this as someone who used to have excellent eyesight, though, so my perspective is likely quite different from someone who hasn’t. Yes, that’s a significant factor. I always had crappy eyesight and always required super thick lenses. So a less than perfect cataract surgery result still was massively better than what I had. I still need corrective lenses for to drive. I don’t care. It’s amazing to me that I can use a computer, watch TV, and read without needing the glasses (although since I have astigmatism glasses make that vision even better). If, on the other hand, I had enjoyed 20/20 vision uncorrected all my life I’d probably be pretty unhappy with my current vision. Where you start from is a factor in how happy you are in the end., ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/133 "2025-07-16T21:41:06Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Where you start from is a factor in how happy you are in the end., Yes, definitely. Prior to the cataracts, I could drive without any corrective lenses. I could see highway signs from a pretty long way off. That stopped happening with the cataracts, and the new lens hasn’t changed that. I basically got no improvement in that aspect of things. I will be dependent on glasses to drive for the rest of my life. I don’t think it is necessarily unfair or unreasonable to have expected a better result, but I also know people who can’t see their dinner companions across the table without glasses, so I know things could be a lot worse. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/134 "2025-07-17T06:30:34Z")
I actually value my near vision more than my far vision. My husband has “readers” all over the house, and even so, it’s often a nuisance to do minor tasks like read a medicine bottle. Since i can’t get both near and far vision without distortion after cataract surgery, i plan to request near vision. (Of course, I’m used to wearing glasses all the time, and only removing them to read fine print.) Also, you’ve only had one eye done. Now that the surgeon has more information on how your eyes react to the surgery, they may be able to correct your other eye enough that you can drive without glasses. It’s something to discuss with your surgeon. (At least, that’s the impression i got from my eye doctor.) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/135 "2025-07-17T07:03:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In other words you have the same degree of astigmatism you did pre-op. Astigmatism is due to an eyeball defect, not a lens defect. > > If you didn’t get a toric lens that was a decision to need external astigmatism correction post-op. For laser-assisted surgery, they can sometimes fix astigmatism. They did that with one of my eyes. With the other, it was enough worse that they could not reliably do so, and I opted for a toric lens. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/136 "2025-07-18T13:39:39Z")
i had a bit of a “blip” yest. light sensitivity and a bit of pain. quick trip to get checked. eye has healed well, a bit inflamed, back on eye drops and recheck in a week. i do agree that if you go into cataract surgery with good 20/20 vision you don’t get the “wow” factor. an artificial lens isn’t as good as a nature lens. it is better than a cloudy lens. the only thing i could possibly complain about is that i did lose a bit of my super close vision. that is soooo miniscule compared to the huge field of vision i have now. corrective cataract surgery is very different from replacement cataract surgery. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/137 "2025-07-19T00:53:31Z")
Had my last post-op appointment today and got my new eyeglass Rx. Apparently the answer to why I didn’t get better vision in the operated eye is ‘this kind of thing happens sometimes.’ Well, at least now I know. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/138 "2025-07-25T04:05:35Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > Your vision will not improve on its own, but guaranteed it will get worse. You are already bothered by the decrease in acuity. So I guess I don’t understand the reluctance. 1. The surgery made my mother blind. 2. Your eyes continue to change. If you are in that phase of life where your eyes are rapidly changing in the next couple of years, the outcome will deteriorate in the next couple of years. Cataract surgery, and Refractive Lens Exchange, is something you can put off until you’re sure that the cure isn’t worse than the disease. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/139 "2025-07-25T12:07:58Z")
1. That is a concern to speak to an actual doctor in real life about. Yes, sometimes there are problems, just as with any surgery, but techniques continue to improve as does knowledge. Also, you are not your mother. Unless you both have some particular risk factor in common her results may be entirely unrelated to your results. 2. Yes, your eyes continue to change. That will continue regardless of whether or not you get cataract surgery. On the other hand, the work up prior to cataract surgery might reveal something else contributing to your vision deterioration that can also be addressed. The end result being your vision deteriorates _less_ than if you did nothing. That said - there is a time for any surgery. Early in the cataract process there really isn’t a need to perform surgery. You want surgery - any surgery - to leave you better than you were before, not worse. In the end, the decision is yours. By all means, do your research beforehand and find a doctor who has done hundreds, of not thousands, of these procedures. You can also opt for the very least risky surgery possible. In my case I went for monofocal lenses rather than toric and continue to wear glasses for my astigmatism because I am extremely risk-averse when it comes to my vision and the older, less “fancy” lenses have a lower rate of complications. Both types have very low rates of problems, but the ones I choose are just a teeny bit safer. That’s what worked for me. When the time comes for you to have surgery (if it ever does) find what works for you. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/140 "2025-07-25T14:33:07Z")
had a follow up today. swelling has gone down in left eye. not quite gone, new eye drops ordered and follow up in a month. to keep intermediate/near vision i have gone from -6 something in my left eye to -3 something. as the swelling goes down that may improve. right eye is at 20/20! that is quite odd to me. i’m still looking for the inter/near sweet spot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189.md?page=8)