Can cataract surgery be done on one eye first?

Director Cao Xiangrong of Tianjin University Aier Eye Hospital said that when cataract patients undergo surgery, one eye is operated on first, and both eyes will not be operated on at the same time.

Is it possible to have cataract surgery on only one eye?

1. If the patient has cataract in only one eye and the other eye is cataract-free and has good vision, then temporarily only one eye needs to be operated on.

2. If both eyes have cataracts, the severity of the cataracts is different, and the refractive status after surgery is not much different, you can choose to perform surgery on only one eye.

3. If both eyes have cataracts and poor vision, or if there is a big difference in refractive status after cataract surgery, both eyes need cataract surgery. Only one eye will likely have a serious impact on the patient's vision.

What impact will a large difference in vision between the two eyes have?

1. Visual fatigue. If the difference in the degree of vision between the two eyes is too big, one eye is clear and the other is blurry, it will cause the eyes to need to make more adjustments to see things clearly. It is more likely to cause visual fatigue than people without anisometropia, and it may even cause reduced vision in both eyes.

2. Affects stereoscopic vision. Stereoscopic vision is based on binocular fusion. If the vision of any one eye is reduced, stereoscopic vision will be affected to varying degrees, which will manifest as an inability to estimate the depth when going up and down stairs and an increased risk of falling when walking.

3. Amblyopia. When the diopter of both eyes reaches a certain level, the image on the retina of the eye with larger diopter will be blurred, which often leads to amblyopia.

If symptoms such as blurred vision, decreased vision, and double vision occur, early detection and early treatment are recommended to avoid the occurrence of other eye complications and increase the difficulty of treatment.