Glare & Halo from Cataracts

Question: I have cataracts in both eyes, and experience night glare and halos which keep me from driving at night. Will it be necessary to have surgery on both eyes before I will see improvement in the glare/halo caused by the cataracts?

Answer: Without knowing the type and position of the cataract in each it is tough to tell specifically in your case which eye or whether both eyes cataracts are contributing to the glare, halo and night driving problems you are experiencing. In general, there is typically some degree of uniformity and we might assume that both eyes are causing your vision problems. In general, we also know that you will experience immediate but NOT complete improvement after the first eye has the cataract removed and a lens implant put in place-and we also know that the best vision results and best functional vision are achieved after BOTH eyes have cataract surgery and lens implants. You may be interested in knowing that researchers reporting in the journal Ophthalmology studied the impact that cataract and cataract surgery have on clinical measurements of vision, reading speed, objective mobility performance and subjective visual functioning. The results showed that patients who had the cataract surgery in both eyes demonstrated better visual performance, better mobility-based task performance and even scored better on the Activities of Daily Vision Scale (ADVS). Thus, even though patients might find a great improvement after having cataract surgery in only one eye, the data indicate that having cataract surgery on both eyes provides the best visual functioning.

Important Note: The information presented on the About Cataract Surgery Blog or provided in response to a request for information in the Ask Cataract Surgeons section on aboutcataractsurgery.com is not intended to diagnose or treat eye problems, eye conditions or eye diseases including appropriateness of treatment, risks, complications or side effects as related to Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants. In particular a response to an inquiry made on the Ask Cataract Surgeons section of aboutcataractsurgery.com is not meant to take the place of the professional medical care provided by your eye doctor, ophthalmologist and Cataract Surgeon. Contacting us via e-mail or any other means is not a substitute for medical care.