Cataract surgery in London, Herts & Kent – what to expect, aftercare & cost

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.

Cataract surgery at our central London clinic removes the cloudy lens protein and replaces this with a lens implant which can correct your glasses prescription for distance and near vision.

After cataract 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.

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 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.

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. 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 and is a quick and painless procedure.

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

• Tearing of the lens capsule (0.2% at OCL)
• Infection or bleeding (0% at OCL)
• Retinal detachment (0.1% at OCL)
• Sight loss (0% at OCL)

If you have any concerns about complications following your cataract surgery, please contact OCL and your surgeon will be able to check your eyes.