Cataract surgery: what to expect

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens inside the eye. It develops slowly, usually with age, and makes vision blurred, dim or glary. Glasses can help for a while, but when a cataract starts to affect reading, driving or daily life, surgery is the only treatment that restores clear vision.

Deciding on surgery

There is no need to wait until a cataract is "ripe". The right time is when it bothers you. At the assessment visit the doctor checks that the cataract is the cause of your symptoms and looks for other eye conditions that could affect the result.

Planning tests

• Biometry measures the length of the eye to choose the power of the lens implant
• Corneal topography maps the surface of the eye, which matters if you have astigmatism
• OCT scan checks the centre of the retina

Stop wearing soft contact lenses for three days before these measurements, because lenses change the shape of the cornea.

On the day

• The operation usually takes 15 to 30 minutes and is done under local anaesthetic with numbing drops
• The cloudy lens is removed through a very small opening and replaced with a clear artificial lens
• Most people go home the same day. You will need someone to take you home

After surgery

• Use the eye drops exactly as prescribed by your doctor, and finish the course
• Wear the eye shield at night for the first week
• Avoid rubbing the eye, swimming and dusty places for a few weeks
• Wash your hair with your head tilted back to keep water out of the eye
• Most people notice clearer vision within a few days. You may need new glasses after a few weeks

Before the operation, tell the doctor if you

• Take blood thinners or tablets for prostate problems
• Have diabetes or have had eye surgery or injury before
• Cannot lie flat for half an hour

When to seek urgent care

Contact the clinic the same day if, after surgery, you have increasing pain, worsening redness, reduced vision, or a curtain or shadow across your vision.