A cataract is a painless clouding of the lens of your eye. The lens is a clear part of your eye that helps to focus light, or an image, on the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye. A cataract generally develops over a long period of time, causing your eyesight to get progressively worse. Your vision becomes blurred because the cataract acts as if you are looking through frosted glass which interferes with your sight –and at best is inconvenient and at worst can lead to blindness if left untreated.

Do you feel your eyesight has deteriorated? Are you having problems driving or with work or hobbies? If your vision has become a lot worse or can’t be corrected by changing your prescription lens, it could be time to consider cataract surgery.

At present, the only corrective treatment for a cataract is surgery. If the cataract is not removed, vision will gradually get worse and they can, if severe, lead to blindness if left untreated. The decision to have cataract surgery is made by you discussing with your Optegra eye surgeon if and how much your lifestyle... Read More »

Cataract cannot spread from eye to eye but it does tend to develop in both eyes at the same time, but often asymmetrically.

If left untreated, a cataract can gradually lead to blindness. You may not even realise you have a cataract because the changes can be gradual. Your vision could grow worse and worse over a period of months, although some people experience fast deterioration in a matter of weeks. It varies from person to person, and... Read More »

You will benefit from cataract surgery when vision loss interferes with your everyday activities, such as driving, reading, or watching TV.

You are never too old to have cataract surgery. If it will improve your vision and make daily activities easier, it is usually a good idea to have surgery.

The CQC are the independent regulators of health and social care in England. They regulate care provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations. Their aim is to make sure better care is provided for everyone - in hospitals, care homes and people's own homes. They also seek to protect the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.

With today’s advanced methods and ultra-modern equipment, cataract surgery enjoys a very high success rate of patients who experience improved vision with no complications. For those few patients with no improvement, there is usually a different underlying eye condition, such as age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy.

At Optegra, cataract removal is safe, swift and highly effective, with many of our patients commenting that it was one of the best decisions they ever made. Cataract surgery is typically performed under local anaesthetic on an out-patient basis and can take less than 20 minutes per eye. Optegra’s consultation to procedure timescale is one of the fastest available, so why wait to get your vision back? We want you to feel as calm and comfortable as possible throughout your visit and we will go out of our way to give you complete peace of mind. The cataract procedure is simple, with a rapid recovery time.

Typically, your consultant will not perform the cataract procedure on both eyes at the same time. Each eye will require separate procedures, although they can both generally be done within a few weeks of each other.

Yes, you will be awake during the procedure however we will use a local anaesthesia to numb the eye and the area surrounding it. The reason for this is because the surgery itself only takes a couple of minutes so it is an unnecessary risk to put you to sleep.

The operation itself is pain free. Afterwards, you may experience itching and mild discomfort, which is normal. These should disappear in just one or two days.

Yes, you must arrange for transportation to and from the hospital on the day of surgery as your vision will be slightly blurred and will not meet the national driving standards. We advise bringing a friend or family member along with you.

No, the surgery itself only takes a couple of minutes and the majority of your recovery can be done in the comfort of your own home.

Your vision will be blurry at first and you may be asked to wear a protective patch. Your sight should return a few hours after the operation and your vision should improve quickly over the next week or two, reaching its optimum at 4-6 weeks.

Cataract surgery replaces the lens with a clear lens which means any existing or future long or short-sightedness problems will still exist. However we do offer an alternative to cataract surgery called Clarivu which corrects both long and short-sightedness and eliminates cataract in one simple procedure, by replacing the natural lens with a sight accommodating... Read More »

No, once a cataract has been removed it cannot return in the same eye.

During your whole Optegra experience you will be accompanied by the same team of people, within this team you will be given a main point of contact should you have any questions, urgent or otherwise, before or after the surgery. After the surgery you are also given a 24 hour helpline you can call in... Read More »

You will normally only require one follow-up appointment after each procedure, shortly after your surgery. If you need further appointments your consultant will let you know, and if required are included in the price.