Cataract Surgery Guide: Lens and Cataract Questions Answered by Our Surgeons

When the cataract starts to get in the way of everyday life. The NHS says cataracts do not need immediate treatment and that surgery is the choice if you want to improve your sight, and the NEI says waiting typically will not harm your eye. Your surgeon will help you decide after measuring how much the cataract affects your vision, and driving standards can also play a part.

Usually 20 to 45 minutes per eye, according to the NHS, and it is normally done under local anaesthetic, so you are awake but feel no pain. You go home the same day. If both eyes need surgery they are normally treated on separate days.

There is no single best lens, only the best lens for your eyes and priorities. The AAO says the standard monofocal lens is the most common and gives one focusing distance, usually distance, so you would wear reading glasses. Multifocal, trifocal and EDOF lenses can reduce your need for glasses, but they raise the chance of halos and glare, and the AAO advises against them for people with glaucoma, macular degeneration or other eye disease. A toric lens can correct astigmatism.

The operation is the same; the reason is different. The RCOphth explains that refractive lens exchange (RLE) is identical to modern cataract surgery but is done mainly to reduce dependence on glasses, while cataract surgery restores clear vision when glasses or contact lenses can no longer do it. Because RLE is done on an eye that may not yet have a cataract, its retinal detachment risk is higher than after cataract surgery, about 1 in 500 against 1 in 1,000 in the 2025 review above.

Most patients can fly about 3 to 7 days after surgery, once their surgeon has checked the eye. The AAO says there is generally no restriction on air travel after cataract surgery in an otherwise healthy eye, and ophthalmologists usually examine the eye the day after surgery and about a week later. Keep your eye drops and your surgical report in your hand luggage, and follow your surgeon's advice for your own eye.

The cataract itself cannot, because the clouded lens has been removed, but the thin membrane that holds the new lens can turn cloudy. This is called posterior capsule opacification, and NHS patient information says it occurs in between 10 and 20% of patients at any time after surgery. A painless YAG laser treatment of five to ten minutes opens the membrane and usually restores clear vision.

Yes, in England standard cataract surgery is provided by the NHS, but waiting times vary. NHS England's July 2026 statistics show 72.9% of ophthalmology patients waiting up to 18 weeks against a 92% standard. Lens surgery to reduce your need for glasses is not usually offered on the NHS, and the AAO notes that premium lenses are usually paid for out of pocket.

Our cataract and lens guides are reviewed by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Satıcı, Op. Dr. Aysan Bayram and Doç. Dr. Muhammet Derda Özer, who operate in a fully equipped, Ministry of Health–licensed operating theatre in Istanbul. Every figure is taken from a named medical source such as the NHS, the NEI, the AAO, the RCOphth or the US Food and Drug Administration, and the review date is shown at the top of each guide.