Surgery for Glaucoma and a Cataract

Surgery for Glaucoma and a Cataract

British Columbia Specific Information

Cataracts is a condition where the lens of your eye becomes cloudy. Your vision becomes hazy, darker, and less colourful. You may also experience vision loss. Cataracts are usually caused by aging, and may become more common around the age of 50. Cataracts can also be caused by trauma to your eye or diabetes.

For more information about cataracts, see: A Decision-Making Guide for Patients Diagnosed with Cataracts (HealthLinkBC File #126).

Overview

Cataracts may occur in people who also have glaucoma. This commonly occurs in older adults.

If you have glaucoma and cataracts, you may consider having surgery for both conditions at the same time. Depending on which condition caused the vision loss, you may have improved vision after surgery.

  • If the vision loss before surgery was mostly caused by the cataract, you may have noticeable improvement in your vision. Also, surgery may delay the progression of vision loss caused by glaucoma.
  • If the vision loss before surgery was mostly caused by glaucoma, rather than the cataract, you may not have much improvement in vision after surgery. But surgery may slow the loss of vision caused by glaucoma.

Cataract surgery alone is quicker and less complicated than having both surgeries at the same time.

In many cases where glaucoma and cataracts occur together, surgery to treat both conditions may be done at the same time.

If you have both glaucoma and cataracts, talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of combined surgery to treat both conditions.

Credits

Current as of: October 12, 2022

Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
Christopher J. Rudnisky MD, MPH, FRCSC - Ophthalmology