Cataract surgery in London & Herts

What is cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery is the lens replacement surgery required when a cataract occurs in the eye. This is when the natural lens has lost its clarity and has become cloudy. The cataract causes blurred vision, loss of contrast and can make driving difficult. Cataracts can occur at any age but are most common in people over 60 years old, due to the natural ageing process of the eye. Cataracts can also be genetic, or caused by other factors such as diabetes or previous eye trauma.

If left untreated cataracts normally become larger, obstructing vision more over time, and eventually lead to blindness.

Private cataract surgery at our London and Elstree clinics removes the cloudy lens protein and replaces this with a lens implant which can correct your glasses prescription for distance and near vision.

What to expect from cataract surgery

Find out more about what to expect from cataract surgery, including preparation, the surgery itself and recovery.

1 Consultation

The cataract treatment process will begin with a consultation with your surgeon, typically 1-4 weeks before your surgery. During this meeting, your consultant will perform specialist diagnostic tests on your eye and you’ll discuss lens choice.

2 Preparing

We recommend taking at least two days off work for the surgery itself and recovery time (most people spend about 2.5 hours at the clinic on the day). We suggest bringing sunglasses for your journey home after surgery. Please don’t wear any eye make up.

You may want to bring someone along to help you get home after the surgery, as your vision will remain blurry for up to 72 hours afterwards. You should not drive immediately after surgery, so should either arrange a lift from someone, use public transport or get a taxi home.

3 The procedure

When you’ve arrived at the clinic before surgery, you’ll be given some eye drops to dilate your pupil. A nurse will then discuss aftercare with you so you can be confident in how best to look after your eye following surgery.

Then you’ll be given more eye drops, this time a local anaesthetic to minimise pain during the procedure. The surgery typically only takes 10-15 minutes per eye to perform.

During the procedure, a small cut is made in the cornea, either using a surgical blade or a femtosecond laser. A hole is made in the capsule bag and the cataract broken up into tiny pieces to remove it. The new intraocular lens is then implanted through ultra-precise keyhole surgery. After surgery, you’ll be able to rest in our relaxation suite for 30-45 minutes.

4 Immediately after surgery

You’ll have your eyes checked a final time before you go home. You’ll also be given some eye drops and instructions about how often to use them and for how long. Your eyes will feel tired and gritty for the remainder of the day, so do stay at home and rest. Your vision will be slightly misty for up to 72 hours after surgery, but you may notice a dramatic improvement in your sight immediately.

5 Recovery

In the first couple of days post-surgery, you’re likely to experience some or all of the following:

Hazy vision; this is because your pupil will remain dilated for up to 48 hours after surgery
Sensitivity to light; again this is due to your dilated pupils
Haloes around light; this will normally settle before long
A gritty sensation, similar to the feeling of having a grain of sand stuck in the eye. You should not feel severe pain
A mild ache in your eye
Pinkish colouring to your eye, or possibly some bright red localised bruising, which is more likely if you’re taking aspirin or warfarin

Your pupil will return to its normal size after about two days and this will dramatically improve your overall vision.

Cataract surgery has extremely high success rates. At OCL Vision we have serious complication rates lower than 0.2% and an infection rate of 0% due to our high standards of care and surgery always being performed by a consultant.

Find out more about what happens after cataract surgery, and which symptoms aren’t normal.

Private cataract surgery lens choice

The simplest lens option for cataract surgery is a standard monofocal lens. This is what your surgeon will implant if you get cataract surgery on the NHS. This lens type corrects vision well, but can only be used for either distance or close-up vision, but not both. Glasses may still be needed for all activities, especially if there is astigmatism.

A major advantage of getting private cataract surgery with OCL Vision is that we offer the latest lens technologies to achieve the best possible unaided vision for our patients. All our lenses also have UV filters built in for added protection.

We offer a range of advanced lenses, including Premium Monofocal, Extended Range (allowing for distance and intermediate vision correction) and Multifocal (allowing for correction of near, intermediate and distance vision). All of these lenses come in toric (astigmatism correcting) versions as needed.

Possible complications of cataract surgery

Cataract surgery complications are uncommon. However, as with all surgery, there are some possible complications to be aware of.

The most common complication is posterior capsule opacification (PCO), which occurs in 5-10% of patients following cataract surgery at OCL Vision. This is when you develop cloudy vision and happens when a membrane grows in the lens capsule, over your artificial lens. PCO is easily treatable with YAG laser treatment, which is offered by OCL Vision and is a quick and painless procedure.

Other, more serious complications are very rare. These include:

Sight loss (0% at OCL Vision)

Infection or bleeding (0% at OCL Vision)

Retinal detachment (0.1% at OCL Vision)

Tearing of the lens capsule (0.2% at OCL Vision)

Alternatives to traditional cataract surgery

There are some alternatives to traditional cataract surgery that your surgeon may recommend based on various factors.

Femtosecond Cataract Surgery

Our surgeons perform femtosecond laser cataract surgery with the use of a bladeless, femtosecond laser, which offers a new level of precision to traditional cataract surgery. This is offered at an additional charge of £500 per eye.

Lens Implant Surgery

We perform innovative lens implant surgery for people who are not suitable for standard cataract surgery or permanent lens replacement surgery, such as patients with irregular-shaped corneas or keratoconus.

Phakic IOL Surgery

As experts in the treatment of high myopia, we have extensive research & practical expertise with Phakic IOL technology – the Visian implantable contact lens. This may be an option for those with dry eyes or thin corneas.

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)

Refractive lens exchange surgery (RLE), also known as PreLex (presbyopic lens exchange), clear lens extraction (CLE) and permanent lens replacement surgery, treats patients with reading vision difficulty.

Laura De Benito

Cataract & refractive surgeon at OCL Vision

How long can cataract surgery be postponed?

The decision to proceed with cataract surgery will depend on how well you see. As a cataract causes the natural lens in the eye to go cloudy, the longer you leave it, the more cloudy the lens becomes, progressively worsening your vision. In some people this can then lead to falls or the inability to legally drive. Most people notice an improvement in their vision within days of surgery and wish they had done it sooner.

Meet the surgeon

Masara Laginaf

Cataract & refractive surgeon at OCL Vision

Can you sleep on your side after cataract surgery?

Yes, you can sleep on your side, although we give you clear eye shields to wear for the first 2 nights to prevent you rubbing your eyes during the night, so you may find it more comfortable to lie on your back.

Meet the surgeon

Sally Ameen

Cataract & glaucoma surgeon at OCL Vision, London cataract surgery clinic

Do you wear an eyepatch after cataract surgery?

After cataract surgery we give you eye drops to use for 4 weeks. The drops include an antibiotic drop to help prevent any infection; 2 types of an anti-inflammatory drops to prevent any redness and lubricant drops to use regularly if your eyes feel tired or gritty. We have an app which is free to download on your device that will send you notifications when your drops are due so that you never miss a drop.

Meet the surgeon

Cataract surgery FAQs

We understand that you may have questions about undertaking cataract surgery. Here we answer some of the most common questions. If you have further queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 0203 369 2020.

What are the different types of cataract?

There are three main types of cataract, dependent on which layer of the lens the cataract affects. The three main types are cortical, nuclear and po.sterior sub-capsular

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What can you expect after cataract surgery?

In the two days after cataract surgery, you may find that your vision is hazy. This will lessen as your pupil returns to its normal size. You may also feel that your eye is gritty, but this should soon fade. If you experience severe pain, contact your surgeon immediately.

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How is cataract surgery performed?

Cataract surgery is performed by making a small cut in the cornea to remove the cloudy lens. A new, artificial lens is then inserted.

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Our locations

If you’re considering private cataract surgery, you can visit us for a consultation at a variety of locations in London and Hertfordshire. Our central London clinic is just off Harley Street at 55 New Cavendish Street and our Hertfordshire clinic is in Elstree, close to Borehamwood. We also have a clinic in Kensington, West London.

Locations