Cataract Surgery
What are cataracts?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colours, blurry vision, halos around light, trouble with bright lights and trouble seeing at night. Cataract surgery is a straightforward procedure that can make a huge difference to your day-to-day life.
Waiting times
Referral to first assessment is 4 - 8 weeks.
About the service
Our NHS cataract surgery is performed by consultants supported by a dedicated nursing team.
Service eligibility
We accept all referrals from accredited optometrists and GPs.
Before your operation
On being referred to us for cataract surgery you will be contacted by our friendly staff to arrange a convenient appointment time, usually within a few weeks of the referral.
Prior to your surgery, you will be assessed by Mr Dan Mathapati, our consultant, and two of our ophthalmic nurse practitioners. You can ask any questions around your care during this appointment. Your initial appointment includes a full assessment and may take between 1-2 hours. During this initial appointment eye drops will be administered and you will not be able to drive for a few hours.
You will have a biometry test to measure the shape and size of the eye. It is commonly used to calculate the power of intraocular lens (IOL) implants required for cataract.
Following this appointment, you will be given a date for your operation.
On the day of the operation
Your operation will be performed by a consultant surgeon in our day case facility.
On arrival you will be checked in by our reception staff and nursing staff who will support you through our pre-admission process. Prior to your operation, nursing staff will administer drops into your eye on which is to be operated.
You will then be seen by the consultant surgeon prior to your operation and you can ask any questions related to the operation.
You will then be taken into the operating theatre for the procedure which usually takes about half an hour.
After the operation you will be given 'going home' instructions and an aftercare leaflet, two lots of eye drops which have to be used four times daily for four weeks. You will be given a drops chart to follow.
If you have any concerns or problems after the operation, please contact the surgery and speak to a member of our admin or healthcare team so that arrangements can be made to see them immediately.
Aftercare
You will be seen at Phoenix Health Solutions for a post operative check up by the ophthalmic nurses, usually one week after the operation.
You will be given a plastic shield with instructions for the length of time to need to wear it.
Four to six weeks after the operation you are required to visit your opticians. For this visit, you will be given a post-operative refraction form at your follow up appointment with ophthalmic nurses. Please take your form to the opticians with you. The optician will complete the form and send it back to us to let us know the outcome visions.
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