Wife getting both done in December. You mean afterward, she'll be able to read phone displays, newspaper headlines and a clock without her specs? That will be wonderful.
Likely not. The young healthy human eye can read those close up things because the lens in the eye is flexible. As your eye ages, the lens loses flexibility, which is why most people in their 40's and later wind up needing reading glasses or bifocals/trifocals/progressive prescription lenses to see things closer than arms length. With cataract surgery, the clouded natural lens is replaced with a prescription lens implant. There are expensive and questionable approaches that try to provide both close up and distance vision, but most just select distance vision and use reading glasses. With 3.25 reading glasses, I can see crystal clear at about 8 inches. I found road numbers on the back of some Kato Burlington E units that I had never seen before! With 2.50 reading glasses, I can see clearly at about 12 - 15 inches. With 1.25 reading glasses, I can see my computer screen and other things at about arms length. Beyond arms length, I can see better than 20/20 without any glasses.
This is very N scale related, because a lot of us enjoy the small scale and have aging eyes. With cataracts, I was having problems with all levels of vision. The cloudy lens is like looking through yellowish smog. After surgery, the world is simply a brighter, clearer (and happier) place! I'll offer a word of encouragement to my fellow N scalers. If/when your eye doctor tells you that you "might" need cataract surgery, don't fear. It's literally the best thing that's happened to me since retirement.
