Living with cataracts

Cataracts are a common eye condition, especially in older people. The different types of cataracts, all affecting the lens of the eye, can lead to a range of symptoms that impact your eye health. Cataracts lead to clouding in the lens of the eye which can cause blurred vision. Other symptoms include struggling with glare from lights, trouble seeing in low light, and colours appearing faded. Untreated cataracts can cause blindness, but eye surgery can replace the affected lens with an artificial one - cataract surgery is the most common elective surgery in the UK (Source: NICE). You can find more information about the causes, symptoms and treatments of cataracts on the NHS website.

Living independently with cataracts

If you’re living with cataracts – perhaps while you’re waiting for an operation – there are some small changes that could help you carry on with daily activities, along with guidance on things like cataracts and driving. Some lifestyle changes include:

• Stronger prescription eyeglasses
• Using brighter lighting for reading at home and work
• Using visual aids such as magnifying lenses
• You can wear sunglasses or glare shields to manage outdoors in bright light

At Guide Dogs, we have a wide range of services, both with and without guide dogs, and a team of experts who can work with you to understand your needs and agree on a plan that’s right for you.

The ways we could help you:

• Habilitation or rehabilitation of important life skills
• Our guide dog service
• Our Vision Rehabilitation Specialists can make recommendations best suited to you and your needs
• Tips and advice to help you make the most of your remaining vision
• Resources and support on how technology can improve your independence

Working with cataracts

Cataracts shouldn’t usually impact your day-to-day work, but they can – especially if your job involves a lot of screen time. It may help to speak to your employer if you have cataracts. They’re responsible for making reasonable adjustments to help you manage at work. Talk to them about things that may help you, such as: 

• Adjustments to lighting to help you see better
• Aids such as a magnifying lens to help with reading
• Time off for appointments and check-ups
• It’s also a good idea to tell them if you’re going to have surgery so that you can plan together. The time off you need afterwards will usually depend on the type of work you do. For instance, if you drive to and from work or at work and need new prescription glasses, these will be ordered when your eyes have completely healed. If your job involves strenuous activity, you may also need a bit more time off.

Driving with cataracts

Whether or not you can drive with cataracts will depend on how much your vision is affected by the condition.

Your eye doctor should be able to talk to you about what to expect, especially if you're having cataract surgery. Generally, you should be ok to drive with cataracts if your eye doctor has confirmed this.

If your sight still meets the minimum required standard for driving, you don’t have to tell the DVLA you have cataracts. But you should have this confirmed by your ophthalmologist and continue to have your sight monitored with regular eye exams because things can change as cataracts develop.

After you’ve had cataract surgery, recovery to the minimum required standard is necessary before driving – so you’ll need to wait until then to get back behind the wheel. You may need new prescription lenses as well. Ask your doctor about this.

One symptom of cataracts is trouble with night vision. You might experience glare or halos around bright lights such as headlights and streetlights, which can make night driving harder.

Support for people living with cataracts

It's normal to worry when you're diagnosed with an eye condition. But there are ways to manage when living with cataracts and, when necessary, surgery can treat them.

Regular appointments with a specialist eye doctor will allow them to monitor your cataracts and how they affect your sight, such as causing double vision or blurry vision. You should mention any changes you notice and how they affect your day-to-day life when you have your check-ups.

Support organisations

• Fight for Sight
• Sightsavers

Edited and reviewed by Susie Baker, Principal Vision Rehabilitation Specialist on 21 May 2025

Guide Dogs is committed to working alongside people with a range of vision impairments, who are registered as either sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired.

Our staff undergo comprehensive training in supporting individuals with vision impairment, to enable us to support you every step of the way through one of our many services, with and without dogs. We foster knowledge of living with vision impairment and create content in collaboration with our Vision Rehabilitation Specialists and Habilitation Specialists.

This content is periodically reviewed as we continue to embrace new knowledge and up-to-date information, in order to improve how we deliver our services and advice.

Please note: Whilst Guide Dogs may be able to suggest various third-party websites which may be able to assist you, those are not endorsed by Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs have no control over those third parties and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information and support they can provide or the suitability and quality of any products or services they provide.

Frequently asked questions