Driving Safety & Cataract Surgery

For many patients with a cataract, driving safety can be a concern and motivate them to make the decision to have cataract surgery. “Along with the safety issue of cataracts and driving is the stereotype of women drivers being further challenged by poor driving habits”, commented Leslie Doctor, M.D., Cornea, Refractive & Cataract Surgeon at Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Connecticut. “After reviewing the data regarding gender differences in crash risk after cataract surgery presented in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology I am pleased to note that it would appear that it is much more critical for men to make the decision to have cataract surgery in an earlier timeframe as their crash frequencies were more dramatically improved than women drivers.”

Galveston & Houston Cataract Surgeon Bernard Milstein, M.D. of The Eye Clinic of Texas also weighed in on the topic of driving safety and cataract surgery. “What we are most concerned with is that any patient who is experiencing a challenge to their mobility due to a vision decrease from cataracts just feels free to share this with us. Any increased risk due to their driving or even walking around the house in dim light because of decreased vision from a cataract is something we need to know about in order to help them work through their options-including cataract surgery. Moving around safely and comfortably is not something you have to give up because of a cataract-we can help with this,” stated Dr. Milstein.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a decrease in vision, driving safety or daily activities in general and think you might have a cataract, it is important to schedule a cataract consultation and examination with a top cataract surgeon who can determine the cause of your vision problem and help to present options and make recommendations so you can see your best.