Cataracts: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Treatments

Surgery is done as a day case and usually takes between 30-45 minutes. Whilst the surgery tends to take a short period of time, most patients can expect to be in the hospital for between 4-6 hours.

Most cataract surgery is done under local anaesthetic in the hospital which means you can eat and drink as normal. However, if general anaesthetic is required you will be advised on how best to prepare for this and will usually be limited to how much you can eat or drink beforehand.

Once you have been called for your procedure, you will be invited into the surgical room to lie on the operating bed and will be encouraged to be as still as possible. Either a nurse or the Ophthalmologist will give you drops to dilate and widen your pupil and will then clean your eye and the area around it.

Local anaesthetic will be dispensed which means you will be awake during your surgery but you should not feel any pain. For cataract surgery, the anaesthetic is usually given in the form of eye drops but can also be administered as an injection.

Your face will be covered with a sterile sheet and only the eye being operated on will be exposed. Due to the nature of the surgery and the proximity of the surgeon working on your eye, you may see movement and changes of light, however it is unlikely you will be able to see any detail of what's happening.

Once the eye has been anaesthetised, the Ophthalmologist will make a surgical incision through the front of your eye (the cornea) and through the clear layer at the front of the lens, where the cataract sits. Using sound waves (ultrasound), the Ophthalmologist will break up the cataract lens inside the lens capsule and remove it using suction. Following this they will insert a clear plastic lens inside the lens capsule, which will hold the new lens in place.

Your eye will heal without any stitches, however you will have a dressing placed over your eye in order to protect it post-surgery.

Most people will leave hospital an hour or so after surgery and a member of the medical team will give you eye drops to use daily for the following 4 weeks to help the eye heal and to prevent infection.

Your Ophthalmologist will give you any specific advice on what to do post-surgery including when to remove the eye dressing or using an eye shield at night time.

If there is any pain post-surgery, it can be treated with over the counter painkillers, however the medical team will advise you on who to call or what to do in the unlikely event that you experience any serious issues.

Most people report that their vision is very blurry for a few hours after surgery due to the drops used to widen pupils, and it may take several days to a week for your vision to improve. It is normal to feel tired after any surgery so plan for the week post-surgery to be quiet and at home if possible.

Whilst your eye is healing (in the first weeks post-surgery) you will be advised to avoid:

• touching or rubbing your eye;
• wearing eye make-up;
• getting water, soap and shampoo in your eyes – use a damp flannel to clean the face and around the eye;
• bending down, lifting anything heavy and strenuous exercise including contact sports, though gentle exercise is generally fine;
• swimming, even with goggles. Your Ophthalmologist can advise you when you might be able to return to the pool;
• windy or dusty environments such as the beach (remember to wear an eye shield or glasses to protect your eyes outside during recovery);
• going out into bright sunshine without wearing sunglasses and/or a peaked cap.

Any operation brings risk of complications even with a generally straight forward procedure as cataract surgery.

Whilst serious complications are rare, it can be useful to be aware of signs or symptoms that need attention following cataract surgery and who to contact, which your Opthamologist can advise on.

Most complications with cataract surgery will occur in the hours or days immediately after surgery, in this instance the following advice applies:

Go to an opticians if:

• your vision becomes cloudy or blurry
• you find it hard to focus your vision
• you notice your is eye red or is painful
• you see light or dark areas in your vision
• it becomes uncomfortable or painful to look at bright light

Seek immediate medical support (call NHS 24 or attend A&E) if:

• floaters (dots and lines) suddenly appear in your vision or suddenly increase in number
• you get flashes of light in your vision
• you have a dark "curtain" or shadow moving across your vision
• your vision gets suddenly blurred

Most people make a full recovery between 4-8 weeks post cataract surgery.

People report their vision to be brighter and clearer than before the surgery. Many people may have a post surgical follow up around 6-8 weeks after surgery and will need an eye test to see if they require glasses for reading or a change to their prescription.

Your Optometrist at your opticians will be able to guide you on this.