Abstract: As cataract surgery has entered the era of refractive surgery from the era of rejuvenation surgery, its significance and indications have undergone significant changes. The influence of visual quality instead of visual acuity has become the most important factor in evaluating whether a patient has surgical indications, but at present, there is no conclusion on which visual quality evaluation indicators is used to determine the basis for surgery. The subjective visual indicators used in the present study included visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, contrast visual acuity and visual function quality of life scale; objective visual indicators include objective scattering index, modulation transfer function, modulation transfer function cutoff frequency and Strehl ratio, etc. It is recommended to use objective evaluation as the basis and combining with the subjective indicators for timing selection of early cataract surgery, to provide a guarantee for improving postoperative satisfaction of patients.(Int Rev Ophthalmol, 2022, 46: 39-44)

Key words: cataract/surgery, visual quality, timing of operation