What are cataracts?

Cataract is actually when the lens inside the eye goes cloudy. Now, the lens inside the eye is shaped like a Smartie, like a chocolate sweetie, and it hangs in the eye in a little bag that's suspended by thousands of little hairs. And, as we all age, that lens, that Smartie gets grubby. It basically starts getting blurry and it can change colour.

And what happens is that you can't see colours as well. And you might start seeing dazzly lights at night, or your vision gets blurry as you're trying to read or do close-up work.

When it becomes an impediment to the enjoyment of your day-to-day life, that's when we call this a cataract.

What are the symptoms of cataracts?

The symptoms of cataracts tend to be cloudy vision, mistiness, dazzle and glare at night and problems with reading, which can't be corrected with glasses.

What causes cataracts?

Cataracts can be caused by multiple things. You can be born with cataract, you can develop them due to medication, you can get them more quickly because of diabetes or certain illnesses. But the most common cause of cataract is actually just aging, where the lens - as it gets older - gets stiffer, changes colour, and becomes cloudier.

What is cataract surgery?

So, cataract surgery is when we actually replace the cloudy lens that is naturally in the eye with a replacement lens made of a plastic-like material.

This could be either silicone or acrylic material that stays in the same position where your natural lens was, and does the job of the natural lens, but it's completely clear and it is sized to you so that you can see either in the distance or near, depending on the discussion you have with your surgeon at the time.

What are my lens replacement surgery options?

Lens replacements. These are the lenses that will replace that natural lens that you have, are made to do the job that your natural lens did, which is to make you see sharply in the distance, usually. But there are various options. One is to have standard distance vision, which means that you will see in the distance, but you will need reading glasses. Very occasionally people decide that they want reading vision so that they can read without glasses but then they will still need distance glasses for driving and watching telly. And then we do have lenses which are premium lenses where you get multiple benefits from one lens where you can see both closeup and in the distance.

Do I need to bring anything with me when I have cataract surgery?

There is about an hour's wait whilst the eye is ready for surgery. We need to dilate the pupil, we need to admit you. So, if you want to bring a book to read, or if you want to bring an iPad or some music to listen to, that is absolutely fine. But there's nothing you have to bring with you.

Will I feel pain during cataract surgery?

So, cataract surgery is painless. It is not an uncomfortable or unpleasant surgery. When we do the procedure, we will clean around the eye and then we will cover you with a small bit of paper which means you won't see any of the operation.

You'll have a small clip between the eyelids, which stops you blinking. And when we put that in place, it can feel a little awkward or stretchy - but not painful.

Then you'll see a very bright light. And after that the most significant thing you'll feel is water running and pressure on the eye occasionally, but it is not a painful experience.

How long does cataract surgery take?

Cataract surgery takes as long as it's necessary for it to be safe. Usually, an operation is done within 15 to 20 minutes. It can be quicker. 95% of all cataracts are done within 20 minutes.

What do I need to do straight after cataract surgery?

Straight after cataract surgery, you do as little as possible. You make sure that there's hopefully somebody to take care of you and to help you just with your initial day after the operation.

You will be using drops from the first day after your surgery to help the eye settle down and to keep the eye clean. And you will be given instructions by the discharge nurse after your surgery to tell you how to best take care of the eye and how to avoid any problems after your surgery.

How long does it take to recover from cataract surgery?

So, the recovery time for surgery from a seeing point of view is the day of the operation. You will be very blurry still, the pupils dilated. Sometimes you'll have some ointment on the eye, and you’ll have a shield over the eye. So, the vision starts improving the day after the operation; usually when you wake up, you'll notice a significant improvement. And then the actual healing of the eye takes four weeks, is what we say. Which means that you will be seeing much better during those four weeks, but it takes time for the actual eye to settle down.

Will my eyes look different after cataract surgery?

Eyes won't look different after cataract surgery. They won't change colour; nothing will change. Initially, after the operation, the eye might seem a little red or a little gritty or scratchy, but those are transient things - they won't last long.

The only thing that people might occasionally notice is that there is a small reflection of the new lens that we've put in. When you look into the sun, you might see a glint of the new lens, like a window in the sunshine, but that's as significant as it is. And most people don't even notice that.

How long will my vision stay blurry after cataract surgery?

So, your vision will be definitely very blurry for the first day, immediately after your surgery. It should start clearing by the next morning and you will start feeling that the vision improves. Over the first week it should start getting a lot clearer for you.

How long should I wear an eye patch after cataract surgery?

So, you will have an eye patch on the eye immediately after surgery, which we will put on there. That stays on for the rest of the day of your surgery. You will wear it for the first night of your operation and you can remove it the next morning.

You will also wear it for the first two nights once you've been home. So that'll be three nights of eye patch just to protect the eye when you're sleeping. But you do not need to wear it every day. And we disadvise you to buy your own eye patches or pirate patches as these can cause dirt to get into the eye.

When can I wear eye makeup after cataract surgery?

So, eye makeup is actually not very good for the eye after the operation. So, we advise you to not wear any makeup on the face on the day of your surgery, and to not wear any makeup on the face - other than lipstick - for four weeks after the operation. This is because the tiny particles that makeup is made of can get into the eye. And, if they actually get into the eye, they can cause significant problems.

How soon after cataract surgery can I exercise?

Again, we have the two-week guideline for exercising after cataract surgery. This is similar to the bending and the lifting and the working; you don't want to put stress on the eye.

And the other important thing about exercise - other than that it can put a strain on the eye - is that if you go to a gym, these are not always the cleanest of environments and you don't want to get any bacteria near the eye.

So, that's for two reasons that we advise you not to do that. However, you can walk as much as you want and that won't harm the eye or hurt the eye.

Should I wear my old glasses after cataract surgery?

Wearing your old glasses after cataract surgery actually won't work. What we usually advise after the first eye, is that you can have the lens removed from your glasses on the side that's had the operation. So basically, you'll be wearing a blank glass with nothing in it - or just an empty space. And that way you can already benefit from having had the surgery on the side that's had the surgery, but you can still see with your other eye.

But some patients actually prefer to just leave their glasses off completely, because they realise that without glasses their vision is absolutely adequate or even good and better than the eye that hasn't had surgery yet.

The other thing is that you can always (just to tide you over till you see the optician) get some cheap reading glasses, off the peg as it were, to tide you over till you see your optician for the official glasses after both eyes have had surgery.

How soon after cataract surgery can I get new glasses?

The eye takes at least four weeks to be fully healed, even though your vision will be a lot better.

So, we advise you to wait at least four weeks, but preferably six weeks to get new glasses because the eye - whilst it's healing - can slightly change its power. And you don't want to buy glasses too early because then you would be spending money for glasses that might change as the eye is still healing.

How soon after cataract surgery can I return to work?

It does depend on the type of work you do, how long you need to take off. If you do any kind of physical work, or have to do any bending or lifting, we definitely advise two weeks off and we can provide sick notes if needed. If you have a desk job, and you feel comfortable looking at a computer screen or whatever, then you might feel happy to start earlier. But in principle we advise two weeks after the procedure.

How soon after cataract surgery can I drive?

So, driving depends a little bit on the strength of your glasses before you have the operation. If you're very, very short-sighted or very long-sighted, you might find it awkward to have one eye that sees well and one eye that doesn't see very well yet without glasses.

But, in principle, if you are compliant with the DVLA guidelines, which means you have to be able to read a number plate at 20 meters, then you can drive within a week. The important thing is also to make sure that you are covered by your insurance if you want to drive.

How soon after cataract surgery can I bend over?

The thing is you don't want to be doing a full bend over after your procedure, because the eye will feel uncomfortable; it puts pressure on the eye. I always say, if you need to pick something up off the floor, you can also just try and bend through your knees. As long as you keep your head over your shoulders, you should be fairly all right.

The thing is that we don't want you doing any heavy lifting or bending down to do things on the floor or clearing things up. We want you to just take your time and not put pressure on the eye for, again, two weeks after the operation.

Can I fly after cataract surgery?

So, flying after cataract surgery is in and of itself not a problem. However, we advise you to not go far or to leave the country in the first two weeks after surgery, for the simple reason that if the eye needs any extra attention or you should run into any problems or need help with anything, it is much easier to be close by in your own environment and the hospital rather than away from home.

How long should be left between cataract surgery on each eye?

Normally we leave about four weeks between cataract surgery. So, we let the first eye settle down before we do the second eye. Sometimes we have a slightly shorter time, just if the difference between the two eyes is too big to be able to manage day-to-day life.

We will occasionally do a surgery earlier and if, for any reason, we feel that the first eye needs to settle down a bit more, we will extend that time.