Cataract refers to the degenerative changes in lens quality caused by various causes of reduced transparency or color change. Surgical treatment is the main treatment modality at present. Among them, phacoemulsification has become the main surgical treatment for cataract because of its advantages such as short operation time, small incision and quicker healing. Today, cataract surgery has gradually shift to refractive surgery, and is no longer simply as cataract surgery. But after cataract phacoemulsification, the symptoms and visual quality are different. The main causes include refractive error, postoperative dry eyes and postoperative corneal astigmatism. This article reviews the factors that influence the visual quality of cataract phacoemulsification and its future trends.