Who is a candidate for cataract surgery?

Different people have different visual needs. If you are visually limited from performing your daily activities from cataracts, then you may be a candidate for cataract surgery. One does not have to wait until the cataract is "ripe", unless you choose to. Leaving a cataract in the eye is not dangerous except for rare situations. Cataracts in general do not harm the eye. In most cases, surgery can be postponed for as long as the patient desires or not done at all. The only side-effect would be the blurred and progressively worsening vision due to the cataract. With time cataracts do increase in size and hardness, and if the cataract is very advanced, the surgery can be slightly more difficult to perform. However even in these situations the result is usually very good. The surgical procedure that seeks to restore your vision involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. Cataracts can be removed at any stage of their development, but again, the decision is ...  more

If your vision cannot be improved by changing the prescription of eyeglasses and you are limited in doing your daily routine activities such as driving, playing golf, watching television, or reading due to cataract formation, you are a candidate for cataract surgery.  more