A 76-year-old male asked:
When do cataracts get removed?
3 doctor answers • 10 doctors weighed in

Dr. Richard Wiederanswered
Ophthalmology 36 years experience
Cataract surgery: Almost everyone develops some cataract lens changes as we age. Early on, they cause little or no symptoms. As they get cloudier, then the patient will start having some vision problems like difficulty reading, driving, glare, haloes around headlights, etc. When that happens, you and your eye surgeon can discuss the proper timing of cataract surgery.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Jon Fishburnanswered
Ophthalmology 31 years experience
Dysfunctional vision: Cataracts, the leading cause of treatable blindness worldwide, are removed when a persons visual function has declined to a level that interferes with their normal activities of daily living. Several factors are considered when surgery is contemplated: the visual acuity, glare disability, coexisting ocular diseases, prognosis, systemic diseases & postoperative management to name a few.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Michael Hamanswered
Ophthalmology 28 years experience
With vision problems: You should have your cataracts operated on cataracts when they affect your activitities of daily living. "you have problems doing things you like, or need to do", or there is medical reasons that the cataracts should be taken care of (causing glaucoma!). There is no set vision (i.e. 20/40 or 20/50) that indicates you should have surgery. You should have symptoms, or need to pass drivers exam.
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Nov 28, 2017
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