Before the Operation

You'll have an appointment beforehand where a specialist examines and measures your eye. If you wear contact lenses, you may need to leave them out for a few days in advance.

During Surgery

Cataract surgery takes place in hospital, usually under local anaesthetic — given as eye drops, an injection, or both — so you'll be awake but shouldn't feel pain. You can eat and drink as normal beforehand. Your pupil is widened with eye drops, the area around your eye is cleaned, and a sterile sheet covers your face so only the eye being treated is exposed. During the procedure you may notice movement and changes in light and shade, though you're unlikely to see any detail of what's happening. The whole operation typically takes around 30 minutes.

Straight Afterwards

You'll be given eye drops to help healing and prevent infection, usually needed for around four weeks, along with advice on pain relief such as paracetamol or ibuprofen if needed. Vision may be blurry for the first few hours or days — this is partly due to the drops used to widen your pupil — and some redness, watering or a gritty feeling is normal, though you should never have severe pain.

It's worth wearing an eye shield or glasses in windy weather, and sunglasses if light feels brighter than usual — a common effect once the cataract is removed and your pupil is temporarily enlarged. You'll usually be seen for a follow-up appointment within about six weeks, and can then arrange a visit to your optician for any new glasses you might need, including for reading.

Getting Back to Normal

Full healing typically takes around six weeks. If you're having surgery on both eyes, you may prefer to wait until after the second operation before getting new glasses. Contact your care team promptly if your vision seems to worsen again after improving, or if you develop severe pain — these could be signs of a complication needing urgent attention.

How Safe Is It?

Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed and successful operations, but like any surgery it carries some risk of complications. Most problems, if they happen, occur shortly after the operation and can usually be managed effectively — sometimes with eye drops, and occasionally with further surgery.

Possible complications include swelling of the retina, an unexpected vision outcome meaning a different glasses prescription than planned, or a change in the position of the artificial lens. More rarely, the retina can detach, needing further treatment. The most serious possible outcome — significant or permanent loss of vision in the treated eye — is very rare, generally cited at under 1 in 1,000.

Cloudy Vision Returning

Sometimes, months or years after otherwise successful surgery, the membrane behind the artificial lens can become cloudy — a condition called posterior capsule opacification. This produces symptoms similar to the original cataract, but is easily treated with a quick, painless outpatient laser procedure.

Contact your eye care team promptly if you notice sudden flashes of light, new floaters, or a shadow spreading across your vision after surgery, as these could be signs of a detached retina.