What Is a Cataract?
A cataract develops when the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy, scattering light before it reaches the retina. Vision typically becomes blurred, hazy or dulled in colour, and glare from headlights or sunlight often becomes more noticeable. Cataracts usually develop gradually with age, though they can also form earlier as a result of injury, certain medications or underlying health conditions such as diabetes.
Because the change happens slowly, many patients adapt to declining sight without realising quite how much clarity they’ve lost, until it’s restored.
Signs You May Need Cataract Surgery
- Blurred, cloudy or "misty" vision that glasses no longer correct
- Increased sensitivity to glare, particularly when driving at night
- Colours appearing faded or yellowed
- Frequent changes to your glasses prescription
- Difficulty reading, recognising faces or seeing in low light
Your Lens Options
Standard Lens Implants: Monofocal intraocular lenses set for distance vision, a trusted, well-established option for most patients.
Premium & Multifocal Lenses: Designed to reduce dependence on glasses for both distance and near tasks.
Toric Lenses for Astigmatism: Correct pre-existing astigmatism at the same time as removing the cataract, avoiding a separate procedure later.
The procedure is typically performed as day-case surgery under local anaesthetic using small-incision phacoemulsification, with most patients home the same day.
Why Choose Mr Miles Parnell
Mr Parnell performs a high volume of cataract surgery each year using premium intraocular lenses, including toric lenses for astigmatism correction. As a subspecialist glaucoma surgeon as well as a cataract surgeon, he is well placed to manage patients with both conditions together, combining cataract removal with minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) in a single procedure where appropriate, rather than requiring two separate specialists.
FAQs
How long does cataract surgery take?
Most cataract procedures take between 15 and 30 minutes per eye and are carried out as day-case surgery under local anaesthetic.
Is cataract surgery painful?
No. The eye is numbed with local anaesthetic, so patients typically feel no pain, only mild pressure during the procedure.
Can I have both eyes done at once?
Cataract surgery is usually performed on one eye at a time, with the second eye treated a few weeks later once the first has healed.
Will I still need glasses after cataract surgery?
This depends on the lens chosen. Standard lenses usually still require reading glasses, while premium multifocal lenses can reduce this need considerably.