Cataracts are caused by the lens inside your eye becoming clouded over time. Cataract surgery involves removing this lens and replacing it with a clear plastic lens.
The consultant who does your surgery will measure your eye and take your prescription into account. This will help them choose what lens to put into your eye, as they will usually try to correct your distance vision with the new lens. This means that you should be able to see well in the distance without glasses (though there is sometimes a small prescription left over). You will still need reading glasses to help with the close work.
Your consultant may offer to leave one or both eyes short sighted after the surgery, especially if you were already short sighted before. This will mean that you can see to read close up without glasses on. However, you will need glasses to sharpen the distance vision.
If you opt to have your cataract surgery done privately, you can have a varifocal-style lens used to replace your cataract. These lenses help you to focus both at near and distance, meaning that ideally people do not to wear glasses after having these lenses (though some people do find their vision is a little better with glasses still). These lenses can cause a halo effect around lights, especially in the dark. There is usually an additional cost for these lenses.
You should always have a sight test about four weeks after your cataract surgery so that your vision can be checked and you can be provided with glasses if necessary.
If you have any queries, please get in touch.