Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery is the commonest operation in the Western World; this is because the operation has become increasingly successful so we can operate on patients much earlier when the cataract starts to affect their vision together with the fact we are all living longer. Parkside Hospital has superb equipment for cataract surgery which is par with the best in the world.
What is a cataract?
This is a haziness or clouding of the lens in the eye. This varies from minimal haziness to complete opacification, now rarely seen in the UK but very common in the developing world.
What causes cataracts?
Cataracts occur increasingly commonly with age but can be seen at any time of life, rarely even in newborn babies. They are more common in patients with diabetes, on steroid treatment, in association with other eye diseases or injuries to the eye but the vast majority of patients have no other ocular problem.
When should a cataract be removed?
Many patients may remember their parents were told to wait until the cataract was ‘ripe’ or mature. This hasn’t been the case now for many years and cataracts can be removed as soon as they interfere with the patient’s vision. Frequently both eyes are affected, although one more than the other, and in this situation it makes sense to operate on both eyes in short succession as this rehabilitates and balances the patients vision in the shortest possible time.
What does the operation involve?
Virtually all cataract surgery is done as a day case under local anaesthetic. After surgery patients take eye drops for 3 /4 weeks and in most patients the eye settles down within days of the operation. Please discuss with your surgeon when you can start to drive, go back to work or restart sports and fitness programs.
How well will I see after the operation?
It is very important to discuss this with your surgeon. Patients who have no other eye problems can expect to see very well but it is important to remember that any surgery can have unexpected complications. If you have other eye problems such as a lazy eye (amblyopia or squint), diabetic retinopathy, age related macula degeneration or glaucoma this can affect the visual outcome although your vision can still be substantially improved.
What are premium lenses?
In days gone by cataract surgery was a sight saving operation. It is now fortunately very rare to operate on someone who has gone blind from cataracts and increasingly we operate to improve the patient’s quality of vision which is so important for our daily lives and increasingly we are looking to reduce spectacle dependence after surgery. This can be done by reducing astigmatism (this is due to the optical shape of the cornea) by making incisions in the cornea at the time of surgery or placing a special ‘toric’ intraocular lens at operation. Another option is to have a multifocal intraocular lens inserted at surgery which provides the patient with near and distance vision without glasses after the operation. Not everyone is suitable for these lenses but if the concept appeals to you please discuss this with your surgeon before surgery as the lenses have to ordered specially. Unfortunately premium lenses are not available on the NHS and insurance companies also exclude them from their cover so the additional expense has to be born by the patient.
If you would like more information about our Cataract Surgery service, please get in contact with us by phoning 020 8971 8000 or use our contact page.
