Cataract surgery is usually recommended when you have trouble seeing well enough to carry out your normal daily activities. As part of your assessment, your clinician may test how clearly you can read an eye chart (visual acuity). They will also take into account other visual problems, including any difficulty you have seeing in bright or dim light.
You will be asked about how your eye problems affect your daily activities. What this means may differ from person to person. Daily activities include working, driving and reading, as well as your ability to live independently and safely with your visual problems (for example, whether you are at risk of falls). The clinician may ask you to complete a questionnaire.
The likely benefits and possible harms of surgery might depend on whether you have any other health conditions, including other eye problems. Your clinician will consider these factors when discussing the possibility of cataract surgery with you, and will let you know if you have a condition that means that surgery is not recommended or there is a higher risk of complications.
Sometimes cataract surgery is recommended for medical reasons rather than for improving vision. This includes surgery for people who need regular check-ups of the retina (back of the eye) but the retina cannot be seen because of the cataract.