Cataract
Surgery

You’ll need to stay in the hospital for up to 4 hours after the surgery so you can recover effectively.During this time you’ll be allowed to rest, and will be offered some refreshments. The eye should not feel painful, but you may experience a ‘gritty’ feeling for a few days. Any discomfort can be managed with paracetamol.

The pupil will be dilated during surgery, and will settle within 48 hours. The eye may also feel sensitive to light in the early stages. Visual improvement is often noticed immediately after surgery and over 95% of patients are able to drive the very next day – only if able to meet the requirement of reading a number plate from 25 yards away. Vision will continue to improve for up to a week, with any necessary glasses being prescribed after week 2.

To reduce the risk of infection and inflammation, we’ll give you a course of eye drops to be taken for around 4 weeks. One week after the surgery, you’ll have your first follow-up appointment. We advise avoiding the following for the first few weeks: wearing make-up, strenuous exercise, sports and swimming. Driving is allowed the next day if you meet the legal requirements, which may be helpful if you want to return to work. You’ll also need to consider how clean the environment is you’re working in to help reduce the risk of infection.

As technology improves the likelihood of complications developing as a result of cataract surgery reduces. Prema has a very high satisfaction rate, with over 95% of patients reporting a successful outcome. Typically, infection occurs in less than 1 in 5000 cases. Potential complications include: corneal decompensation, persistent macular oedema, implant instability, power calculation errors and glaucoma, and all risks will be explained at consultation.