A cataract is clouding of the natural lens inside the eye. Surgery removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial intraocular lens. Timing and lens selection should be based on daily-life difficulty, eye health, measurements and visual priorities rather than the cataract label alone.
Book on WhatsApp
Nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular cataracts can cause different patterns of blur, glare, fading colour, changing prescription or difficulty in dim light. Cataracts may be age-related, congenital, traumatic, medication-associated or linked to metabolic and eye disease.
There is no universal percentage that determines timing. Surgery is considered when the cataract interferes with driving, reading, work or examination and treatment of another eye problem, and when expected benefit outweighs risk. A new spectacle prescription may be enough earlier on.
Through small corneal incisions, the surgeon opens the lens capsule, uses phacoemulsification to divide and remove the cloudy lens, and implants a folded IOL into the remaining capsule. Anaesthesia and sedation are individualized; most routine cases do not require an overnight stay.
The plan may use monofocal, toric, enhanced monofocal, EDOF, multifocal or trifocal optics depending on eye health, corneal astigmatism, measurements, reading and driving needs, and tolerance for halos or contrast trade-offs. Not every design is suitable for every eye.
Blur, mild grittiness and light sensitivity can occur early, while focus settles over time. Use drops and attend checks exactly as advised. Sudden loss of vision, increasing pain or redness, flashes, many new floaters or a curtain-like shadow require urgent assessment.
Although cataract surgery is common, infection, inflammation, pressure change, corneal swelling, macular oedema, capsule problems, retinal detachment, residual prescription and later posterior capsule opacification can occur. Individual conditions may change both risk and expected vision.
A cataract assessment reviews the lens, cornea, retina, optic nerve and visual goals before surgery is recommended.
Book on WhatsApp