The operation

The operation replaces the natural lens with a plastic lens (implant) inside your eye. The surgery is usually performed as a day case procedure under local anaesthetic, with the patient needing to come in to hospital only for a few hours.

With a local anaesthetic you will be awake during the operation. You will not be able to see what is happening, but you will be aware of a bright light. Just before the operation, you will be given eye drops to enlarge the pupil. After this, you will be given an anaesthetic to numb the eye. This is usually an injection of local anaesthetic solution into the tissue surrounding the eye.

During the operation you will be asked to keep your head still, and lie as flat as possible. The operation normally takes 15-20 minutes, but may take up to 45 minutes. A nurse will hold your hand the whole time to make sure that you are all right. The natural lens is removed by a technique called phacoemulsification. The surgeon makes a very small cut in the eye, softens the lens with sound waves and removes it through a small tube. The incision is then enlarged to 8mm (one third of an inch) and the telescopic implant placed into the natural capsular bag of the natural lens which is left in place during the lens removal part of the procedure. The incision is closed by fine stitches which are easily removed in clinic usually two to three months after surgery.

At the end of the operation, a pad or shield will be put over your eye to protect it.