Cataract Removal

Cataract removal is the only available treatment for cataracts - cataracts can not be reversed and are a progressive condition that cause increased vision damage as the cataract develops.

Cataracts gradually destroy vision by clouding the crystalline lens at the back of the eye. As the lens becomes clouded this alters the way light reaches the retina as the light scatters as it passes through the lens.

Cataract operations are performed as an outpatient operation and patients return home within hours. The procedure is not a painful and has very few risks, however patients often worry due to the term 'removal' being linked with treatment of the eye. Cataract removal or extraction surgery can also be known as cataract treatment - surgery is the only option to prevent complete vision loss from cataracts.

If patients are concerned about cataract removal an opthalmologist will be able to answer any questions and concerns. The facts below are intended to explain and clarify common concerns about cataract removal: 

• Cataract removal is a minor operation that is completed within one hour

• Cataract removal takes away only the cataract and the damaged lens - no other part of the eye is affected

• Cataract removal will restore or significantly improve vision in 98% of patients

• The recovery time after cataract removal surgery is short and most patients can return to work the following day
  

• Eye surgery to remove cataracts can correct other vision problems such as short or long-sightedness

• More than 1.5 million people have successful cataract eye surgery in the UK annually

• Untreated, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and cataract extraction is the only available method for restoring and preventing sight damage from cataracts.