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Introduction: Post-Operative Cognitive Disorder (POCD) in surgeries under general anesthesia is a relatively common event and its diagnosis after surgery is particularly important in the elderly. In this study, the frequency of cognitive disorders after cataract surgery with different anesthetic methods in the elderly was evaluated to identify the effective factors and identifying the appropriate method with the lowest incidence of cognitive impairment. Materials & Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 108 patients over 60 years of age who were referred to Semnan hospitals for elective cataract surgery were randomly assigned into three groups of anesthetics (local, inhalation, and intravenous) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was done for cognitive assessment in three steps: before surgery, three and seven days after the operation. Results: The groups were matched based on age and gender. Patients had no difference in preoperative cognitive test. In cognitive test on the third and seventh day after surgery, in order to assess the cognitive effects of anesthetic drugs, there was a significant difference between different anesthetic methods, which was higher on the seventh day. Among the three different methods of anesthesia (inhalation, intravenous, local) that were used in cataract operation, the least cognitive impairment was observed in patients with local and the most cognitive impairment was in patients with inhalation anesthetics. Conclusion: The use of local anesthesia for cataract surgery has the lowest postoperative complications compared to other general anesthetic procedures, and it is recommended to use this method if not contraindicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]