Cataract Surgery & Complicated Cataracts
Cataract is a condition when the natural lens of the eye looses its clarity and starts to affect vision.
The eye is equipped with a lens. This lens sits inside the eye and is responsible for focusing the light, helping you to see clearly at different distances. It is made of a soft, transparent material enclosed in a thin capsule and adjusts its shape to maintain focus between near and far objects.
At birth and early life, the lens is crystal clear. Over time, however, it gradually becomes cloudy or takes on a yellowish tint. This change can interfere with how light enters the eye and cause the vision to blur.
Common signs of cataract are hazy or blurred vision, sensitivity to bright lights and glare and colours appearing faded. At first, you may just notice the need to change your glasses prescription more often. However, as cataracts progress, they can make it difficult to drive at night, read or watch television comfortably.
If left untreated, cataracts can significantly impair vision and affect everyday life, but the good news is that modern cataract surgery is a highly refined and effective procedure that can restore clarity and confidence in your sight.
Cataract surgery is one of the most successful and refined operations in modern medicine. The goal of the procedure is simple, to replace the eye’s cloudy natural lens with a clear artificial lens, allowing light to focus properly again and restoring clear vision.
The operation is usually performed under local anaesthetic and is completely painless. Using a microscope, delicate microsurgical instruments and an ultrasound probe the cloudy lens is carefully removed through a tiny incision and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). The new lens stays in place permanently and never needs replacement.
Modern cataract surgery takes just a few minutes and recovery is generally quick. Most patients notice an improvement in their vision within a few days, with colours appearing brighter and sharper focus in the distance.
Beyond restoring clarity, modern cataract surgery and lens technology offers choices tailored to individual needs. Advanced lens implants can reduce dependence on glasses, helping many patients achieve clearer distance vision, near vision or both.
Cataract surgery replaces the eye’s natural lens with a clear artificial implant. Modern techniques and advanced lens technology now offer several options, and the type of lens you choose will determine how your eye focuses after surgery.
Before the operation, we use the latest technology to take precise measurements of your eye’s length and shape. This will allow us to calculate the ideal power of the new lens for your individual eye.
In most cases the surgery is planned to leave you with excellent distant vision and minimal need for glasses. However, some people may prefer to remain slightly short-sighted after surgery, allowing for better focus when reading or doing close work, though this means greater dependance on glasses for distance tasks, such as driving or television.
There are also more advanced solutions we can discuss during your consultation, each designed to match your lifestyle, visual needs and preferences.
Monofocal Lenses
The most commonly used lens in routine cataract surgery, a monofocal lens works perfectly to restore clear vision, but will give you a single point of focus, either distance or near, not both. You’ll likely still need glasses to correct the range not covered by the lens, but these lenses deliver excellent clarity and contrast.
Multifocal Lenses
Unlike a conventional single point of focus, a multifocal lens provides several focal points, giving clearer vision for different distances, distance, intermediate, and near. These lenses divide the light into different focus zones, allowing you to see clearly at multiple ranges. They can reduce dependance on glasses, but need careful selection to ensure the best outcome for your individual visual needs.
Monofocal Plus & Enhanced Depth of Focus Lenses
These lenses build upon the standard monofocal design to extend the range of clear vision. They enhance depth perception and improve vision for intermediate and close distances, offering a more balanced solution for greater spectacle independence, without some of the visual side effects that can occur with the multifocals.
Toric Lenses
There are occasions where an irregular curvature in the shape of the eyeball can blur the vision even after surgery. This condition is called astigmatism. Toric lenses are specifically designed to correct this issue, providing the best possible clarity without glasses for distance and for near. They require accurate calculations and precise alignment during surgery to deliver optimal results.
While most cataract operations are straightforward, some eyes require a more specialised approach.
Complex cataract surgery addresses situations where the structure of the eye has been affected by previous trauma, surgeries, or other conditions.
With advanced vitreoretinal techniques and modern technology these challenging cases can now be managed safely and effectively, helping restore clarity and confidence to your vision, similar to routine cataract surgery.
Traumatic Cataract
Injury to the eye can sometimes lead to cataract formation and disruption of the capsule that normally holds the lens in place. Surgery in these cases can become very challenging and requires thorough assessment, careful planning and delicate handling of the supporting structures.
By combining cataract and vitreoretinal expertise, we can remove the damaged lens, stabilise the eye, and often restore useful sight, even in eyes affected by significant trauma.
Dislocated Crystalline and Intraocular Lenses
Occasionally, the natural lens of the eye or an artificial intraocular lens may shift out of position due to weakened support tissues from previous surgery or disease. The effect on vision can be detrimental.
Modern vitreoretinal techniques allow us to reposition or exchange the lens through minimally invasive approaches and tiny incisions, same as routine cataracts. Using sutured or sutureless fixation of a new intraocular lens, we can achieve stability and improve vision.
This provides both functional improvement and peace of mind to patients worried about fluctuating or blurred vision.
Opacified or Failed Intraocular Implants
It is a fact that the lens implanted during your cataract surgery is designed to remain stable and inert for life.
However, in rare cases, some implanted lenses may loose their clarity or develop surface changes that affect vision.
When this happens, modern vitreoretinal techniques can safely remove and replace the damaged lens, providing clarity in your vision again. Specialist surgical techniques ensure the new lens is well centred and secure, restoring focus in your eyesight and long-term comfort.
Our expertise and experience in both cataract and retinal surgery will offer you the reassurance of comprehensive specialist care.
No matter how complex or straightforward your cataract may seem, there are advanced solutions to restore your vision and comfort.
With consultant-led care, cutting-edge technology, and a meticulous approach to every case, you can feel reassured that you trust your care in expert hands, from first assessment to full recovery.
Your questions answered
Is cataract surgery Painful?
No. The procedure is routinely performed under local anaesthetic, and you won’t feel pain, just mild pressure or movement during the surgery.
Very occasionally, general anaesthesia can be considered, based on individual needs and circumstances.
How long does the surgery take?
Most cataracts are completed within 15-20 minutes, though you’ll be in clinic for few hours in total.
What is the recovery time?
Vision often improves next day or within few days, but full recovery may take a bit longer. You can return to regular activities quickly.
When can I drive again?
Most people are able to drive once their vision meets the leal requirements, normally within days. Individual consideration is necessary.
Can cataracts come back after surgery?
No. The cloudy lens is permanently removed. Occasionally, a thin membrane behind the new lens can become hazy. This can be easily treated with a quick laser procedure.
What happens if I have cataract in both eyes?
Most commonly each eye is treated separately, to ensure the safest and smoothest recovery.
Will I need glasses after the surgery?
It depends with the lens chosen and every case needs to be individually assessed for maximum spectacle independence.
When do I plan my visit to optician?
Normally, your optometrists will be in a position to assess you quickly, but we normally advise to allow 4 weeks for full recovery.