I had cataract surgery 12 years ago this month at age 43. I had worn corrective lenses for 33 years.
I had the ReStor multifocal lens implants. Overall, I'm very happy. One thing to be aware of: you will have great distance vision. You will also have great reading distance vision. Now, extend your arm fully in front of you...from the tip of your fingers, out to 6-8 feet, you will have problems reading things in this range. Think shopping, the GPS in your car, etc. You will also have trouble reading in dim light, like in a dark restaurant. This is because of the way the multifocals refract the light onto your retina thru the pupil that dilates in the dark. You'll possibly/likely need a set of progressive lens glasses to cover this deficiency. I have a couple pairs of them. I keep a pair in each car, in case I have to rely on the gps to get me where I'm going. This will depend on the GPS unit in your vehicle...I can see the GPS on its massive screen in my 2017 Honda Ridgeline just fine, because the letters are large enough and with proper contrast. My 2014 Honda CR-V is not as good, but let me tell you, in my 2012 Ford F-350, the contrast was odd and the screen was small, so without the progressive lens glasses, the gps was useless. You may have this issue with standard single vision lens implants, or maybe not. One think I like about the ReStor Multifocals is that I can wear any sunglasses that I like, such as my favorite Maui Jim polarized sunglasses. If you have to wear glasses post op (like my mom who had hers done 30 years ago, and my dad who had his done 7 years ago, both with single vision lens implants) then you are stuck buying prescription sunglasses, or those big weird old people sunglasses that go over your prescription glasses. They are a bit more expensive. I think I had to pay $500 extra per eye, because the insurance would cover single vision but not multi focal, at the time. These had just come out not too long before I had my surgery so they were relatively new and still not covered by insurance. As far as I'm concerned, though, this was the best thousand bucks I could have ever spent. I do wear glasses occasionally, for the gps and for seeing the prices on the shelf while shopping, and on the rare occasion that we go out to eat in a dark restaurant, but not every day by any stretch of the imagination. Hope this helps.
+1
Rambler's experience closely match mind EXCEPT I combined a Restor lens with ReZoom lens. One lens (ReZoom?) strength was its mid to far and the other provided a different balance which provided relatively more clarity in the mid to near. I had my procedures after wearing contact lens for over 40 years including multifocal contacts for the last ten years. Having been accustomed to the muti-focal contacts the transition was pretty seamless. I paid about $1500/eye premium for the multi-focus lens over what Medicare provided. Best money ever spent--appreciate the benefits every day!
I have been pretty much glasses free since the procedure. I do occasionally use a reader if the light is low, the image is small (think 4 pt type) or there is poor contrast. No issues with reading dash instruments. My current optometrist said his clients have had mixed success with multi-focals and was surprised just how successful my experience has been. I attribute it to a couple thing--many years wearing multi-focal contacts so had realistic expectations about what I would get, great docs who only do cataract and similar procedures, letting my first eye (distance) completely heal (several weeks) and then having the prescription verified for the second eye done to insure it would optimally work with first lens (it changed from the initial).
A significant factor in choosing a multifocal lens is how strong your stigmatism is. My DW just completed her procedures and her stigmatism was too strong for a good results from multi-focal. She had a ReStor lens in both eyes and enjoying excellent distance vision but will wear progressive eyeglasses for near distance clarity. Medicare paid for 100% of the cost including a $125 contribution to the eye glasses.
Good luck and fear not ;-)