2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
11 Lens and Cataract
Chapter 6: Evaluation and Management of Cataracts
Clinical History: Signs and Symptoms
Myopic Shift
The development of cataract may increase the dioptric power of the lens, commonly causing a mild to moderate degree of myopic shift. Hyperopic and emmetropic patients find that their need for distance or reading spectacles diminishes as they experience this “second sight.” This phenomenon is encountered with nuclear sclerotic cataracts and disappears when the optical clarity of the crystalline lens further deteriorates. Less commonly, hyperopic or astigmatic refractive errors can be induced by cataractous lens changes. Asymmetric development of lens-induced myopia may produce intolerable anisometropia.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 11 - Lens and Cataract. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.