Frequently Asked Questions

Cataract surgery is virtually painless and there are no needles or injections involved. You’ll be awake during the procedure, but your eye and the area around it will be numbed using anaesthetic eye drops. You may feel some slight discomfort when your anaesthetic wears off the day of surgery or the following day, but don’t worry – this is usually minimal and can be easily managed.

Since cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure you will remain awake and receive anesthetic eye drops. This allows your surgeon and nurses to communicate with you during your procedure.

Cataract surgery goes smoothly for most people, who typically end up with better vision and recover without any long-term issues. However, there are risks to any surgical procedure, so it helps to know what might go wrong.

Infection, inflammation and retinal detachment are among some of the rare risks with cataract surgery, especially if you have other eye problems or a serious medical condition.

Cataract surgery typically takes less than ten minutes to complete. However, please allow time to be at our centre for approximately two hours.

No, cataracts cannot come back after surgery. The artificial intraocular lens cannot grow a cataract. However, after surgery the lens capsule may become cloudy. This can lead to blurry vision, creating symptoms similar to cataracts.

Using laser is, at times a method of creating an incision to enter the eye. Our surgeons create a manual microscopic incision to facilitate the insertion of instruments. Then, surgeons use a handheld ultrasonic probe to break up the cataract lens and remove it through the incision.

Eye irritation is common after any kind of eye surgery. Some of the most common side effects include light sensitivity, dry, itchy, gritty feeling, redness, or unclear vision. These side effects are normal and should only last for a few days after surgery.

As your eyes are more vulnerable to complications after surgery, your eye doctor will prescribe antibiotic eye drops to prevent infection, anti-inflammatory drops to control inflammation, and a steroid to aid with healing. Since patients will not be able to rub their eyes, the ideal way to address dry or irritated eyes is to use lubricating eye drops, which soothe irritation by adding moisture to your eyes.

Your surgeon will place a patch on your eye after surgery, which will be removed later that day. You will continue to wear your patch when sleeping for one-two weeks, depending on your surgeon.

Most people see an improvement in their vision one to three days after surgery, but it could take up to ten weeks to see full benefits.

If you have a valid driver’s license that is not suspended and your vision is clear, you should be fine to drive the day after your surgery.

Usually after 24 hours. However, full cataract surgery recovery time is typically four to six weeks. During this time, the eye needs to be kept clean and lubricated to help the healing process, and activities should be limited to allow the eye to rest and heal properly.

Small particles or liquids from makeup could enter your eye and increase your risk of developing an infection, so you should wait at least four days before using powder based make-up products such as blush, cover up or bronzers and two weeks before wearing any eye makeup such as mascara.

The day of your surgery should be about rest, but most patients can watch some television, look at a computer screen or read for a short period of time the following day. It's important however that you don't over-exert your eyes during the first 24 hours after surgery. You can expect to return to most normal activities during the first week.