Cataract Surgery

Signs of a cataract

• Blurry, cloudy or dim vision
• Glare or halos around lights, especially when driving at night
• Colors that look faded or yellowed
• Needing more light to read
• Frequent changes in your glasses prescription
• Double vision in one eye

Cataracts usually develop slowly with age. Diabetes, smoking, long-term steroid use, eye injuries and years of sun exposure can bring them on sooner.

When is it time for surgery?

You don't need to wait for a cataract to become "ripe." The right time is when blurry vision or glare gets in the way of things you need or want to do, such as driving, reading or working. At your evaluation, Dr. Hwang measures how much the cataract affects your vision and talks through whether surgery makes sense now.

Before surgery

At a pre-surgery visit, we take precise measurements of your eye to choose the power of your lens implant, and we talk about which lens type fits your goals. We'll review your medications and explain which eye drops to start before surgery.

The day of surgery

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure at a surgery center, and you go home the same day. The surgery itself usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.

• Your eye is numbed with drops, and you're given medicine to help you relax.
• Through a tiny opening, the cloudy lens is gently broken up and removed.
• A folded lens implant is placed in the same spot, where it unfolds. Stitches usually aren't needed.

You'll need someone to drive you home. If both eyes need surgery, they're done on separate days, usually a week or more apart.

Recovery

• Many people notice clearer vision within a day or two, and it keeps improving over the next few weeks.
• You'll use prescription eye drops for several weeks.
• Wear the protective shield while sleeping for the first week, and don't rub your eye.
• Avoid swimming, hot tubs and eye makeup for about two weeks.
• Most people return to light daily activities the next day.
• Follow-up visits are usually the day after surgery, about a week later and about a month later.

Call us right away if pain gets worse, vision gets worse or redness increases after surgery.

Insurance and costs

Medicare and most health plans cover cataract surgery when it's medically needed, using a standard monofocal lens. Lenses that also correct astigmatism or reduce your need for glasses (toric, EDOF and multifocal) have an added cost that insurance doesn't cover. We'll give you that cost before you decide.