Common FAQs

A cataract is not a substance that can be dissolved with any type of eye drop. Cataract is the change to the structure of your lens that occur as you age. The only way to treat your cataract is to surgically remove the defective lens and replace it with a synthetic lens.

No; cataract surgery is indicated when you are not happy with your vision regardless of how ‘ripe’ your cataract is. If the cataract is interfering with your activities, you are ready for cataract surgery.

In fact, it is more challenging to operate on a ripe cataract.

Although cataract is more common in the over-60s, as we age, cataract already starts forming in our 40s and 50s and for some people, this affects their image quality and interferes with their lives.

The vast majority of cataract surgeries are performed under local or topical anaesthesia supplemented by intravenous sedation administered by an anaesthetist. This is safer, more comfortable and cheaper than having a general anaesthetic. Unless a patient is very young or very nervous, a general anaesthetic is not usually needed.

Small incision cataract surgery has progressed to such a level that it is the most commonly performed operation in any field of surgery. It is generally considered to be a very successful procedure with a very low complication rate when performed by experienced surgeons.

The most feared complication is a severe intraocular infection after cataract surgery; the risk of which is one in a thousand. However, we will take utmost care to prevent this from happening.

Many patients see relatively well the next day after surgery. Though it may take a few days for your vision to completely return, recovery is usually smooth and relatively painless.

No; your cataract will never come back again. What can happen a few years after surgery is thickening and opacification of the lens capsule that supports the lens implant, and that can be easily treated by YAG laser capsulotomy