Cataracts and Glasses

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Question:
I have cataracts but am getting along well enough for now with prescription glasses. As the cataracts advance, can my glasses be made stronger periodically until I decide it is time for surgery? A relative has told me an optometrist will not prescribe increasingly powerful glasses to compensate if the cause of any worsening vision is due to cataracts. This seems hard to believe. 

Answer:
As cataracts develop, they often result in a change in the eyeglass prescription. Therefore, at this early stage, new eyeglasses may restore good vision. Over time, with further worsening of the cataract, a point will be reached where even with new eyeglasses, the vision will not be good. At this point, the optometrist may recommend consideration of cataract surgery, because new glasses will not correct the vision any longer. Because the eyeglass prescription always changes following cataract surgery, the optometrist would be correct in not prescribing new glasses if the cataracts are advanced enough to warrant surgery.

Answered by: David F. Chang, MD

Categories: Cataracts, Vision Correction

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