Matthew Russell discusses the advantages and risks associated with lifestyle cataract surgery
Simply put, removing your cataracts gives you clear vision.1
If you’d also like to get out of your glasses and contact lenses, lifestyle cataract surgery can get you there for most day-to-day activities. For those who want the best vision possible – even in dim lighting conditions – laser cataract surgery might be the best treatment for you.
Advantages
The biggest advantage of lifestyle cataract surgery is that you’ll get the vision that suits your lifestyle. With lifestyle cataract surgery, you have the option to choose your desired prescription after your cataract surgery.
Cataract surgery is the most performed surgery in Australia.2
The procedure takes less than an hour and does not need an overnight stay.
Your vision usually improves the day after cataract surgery. You’ll achieve optimal improvement in vision with toric or multifocal lenses. We can even top-up the procedure with laser refinement at a later date to give you spectacularly accurate results – which we call laser cataract surgery.
Generally, your recovery will be short and uneventful, and we’ll keep you informed at every stage. The lens implants are permanent. We don’t need to replace them – they will likely outlast you.
Risks
No surgery is without risk. With that said, cataract surgery is one of the safest and most reliable surgical procedures we can perform on the human body.3
You may experience mild grittiness and dry eye symptoms following surgery, and this can last for a few weeks and, in some cases, several months.
Some people may experience fleeting sharp pain related to dryness of the eye. These symptoms are usually manageable with lubricating eye drops. If we note that you have dry eye at your preoperative assessment, we may recommend you begin using artificial tears before surgery.
If you’d like to know more about the services we offer to cataract patients in Brisbane, give us a call. If you’d like to see if we can help you, book a consultation.
References
- RNIB – See differently. 2021. Cataracts. [online] Available at: <https://www.rnib.org.uk/eye-health/eye-conditions/cataracts> [Accessed 21 June 2021].
- Surgery.com.au. 2021. What Are The Most Common Surgeries In Australia? – Surgery.com.au. [online] Available at: https://www.surgery.com.au/common-surgeries-in-australia/ [Accessed 21 June 2021].
- Davis G. The Evolution of Cataract Surgery. Mo Med. 2016 Jan-Feb;113(1):58-62. PMID: 27039493; PMCID: PMC6139750.
