Objective To explore the clinical features of astigmatism in senile cataract patients before operation, and investigate the associated factors, such as age, eye axis, and central corneal thickness. Methods A total of 498 patients diagnosed as senile cataract in our department from October 2013 to October 2014 were recruited in this study. Before operation, their corneal astigmatism was observed, and the correlation of cataract with other factors such as age, eye axis, and central corneal thickness were analyzed. Results The cohort of patients had a mean age of (72.19±9.98) years and a mean corneal astigmatism value of (1.13±0.84)D. There were 152 eyes (30.52%) having the rule astigmatism, 249 eyes (50.00%) the inverse astigmatism, and 97 eyes (19.48%) oblique astigmatism. The age was positively correlated with the changes in ocular axial length. Conclusion In the patients with age-related cataract, the prevalence of preoperative corneal astigmatism is quite high, mainly from mild to moderate astigmatism. With the increasing in age, the proportion of inverse astigmatism is increased gradually, with a tendency of shorter axial length and increased astigmatism, especially in the patients over 80 years old. Young patients with cataract commonly have myopia.