Q: I am a 40 years old man who had radial keratotomy (RK) at the age of 19 years and the power of my right eye was -12 and left eye was -9. After RK my eye power came down but after a year it reverted back to the original value. Now it is -16 in the right eye and -13 in the left eye and is constant for the last 6 years. I am unable to focus through my right eye. When I see an object from a particular distance my left eye moves fast but my right eye takes time to concentrate and I see double or triple images of that object. The doctors say that I have cataract only in the right eye. Can cataract occur only in one eye? If yes, should I undergo surgery only for the right eye and use spectacles with power -12 in the left eye? Or should I get both the eyes operated?

A:If there is a cataract it is best to go for surgery. You need special equipment and formulas to calculate the IOL power. Have you tried contact lenses? The option would be surgery for right eye (RE) and contact lens (CL) or a surgery for left eye (LE) too. As you are 40 years, the surgery is fine. The risks of high myopia, like retinal detachment, macular scars, haemorrhages, etc. persist even after surgery, so you need to have 6 monthly detailed eye check ups through out.