Conventional techniques for assessing the visual function of cataract patients include visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS) and glare disability (GD). The extent to which these measurements provide accurate information about a patient's perceived visual disability is not known. In this study, binocular and monocular VA and CS and monocular GD measurements were made using commercially available techniques on 33 cataract patients. VA was measured using a Ferris-Bailey LogMAR chart and CS by the Pelli-Robson letter CS chart. Glare disability was measured using the Mentor Brightness Acuity Tester in conjunction with both the LogMAR and Pelli Robson charts. Each patient's perceived visual disability was quantified using a 20-point questionnaire about the effect of vision on everyday activities. There was little correlation between subjective visual disability and monocular or binocular VA measurements. Measurements of binocular CS, however, were highly correlated with the patient's perceived visual disability, particularly their subjective assessment of the effect of vision on their mobility-orientation. We suggest that binocular CS measurements using the Pelli-Robson chart provide useful additional information regarding the need for surgery in cataract patients.