My optometrist said (in June 2013) that I was probably about 6 mos to 1 year away from needing surgery.
It is a very confusing process, especially with the many types of IOLs and the coverage/non-coverage issues with Medicare and insurance.
I would highly recommend you read "So You've Got A Cataract?: What You Need to Know About Cataract Surgery: A Patient's Guide to Modern Eye Surgery, Advanced Intraocular Lenses & Choosing Your Surgeon" by Dr David Richardson [also available in a Kindle Edition for easy reading and less than $5].
It will answer a lot of your questions and enable you to know enough to ask the right questions of your surgeon.
So far, the only recommendation I got from a relative who recently had the surgery, was that he loved his Crystalens. No glare, no halos, no need for glasses. His was done in Michigan and he was about $5000 out-of-pocket for the surgery on both eyes.
Good luck.
