What are the advantages of having cataract surgery privately?
There are several advantages to having your cataract surgery privately. The most important advantage is that you are pre-assessed and followed up by the same consultant who performs your surgery. This gives you the opportunity to fully understand what will happen during your procedure and for you to have complete trust that you are in safe hands. Also NHS cataract waiting lists are ever increasing and going private means that you can choose a time that is convenient to you. Finally the option Premium Cataract Surgery is only available on a private basis.
Premium Cataract Surgery can be used not only to improve the clarity of your vision, but also to decrease or eliminate your dependency on glasses for both distance and near vision. The main difference compared to standard cataract surgery is the type of lens implant used.
With standard cataract surgery, patients receive a monofocal lens implant. These lenses have a single focus point.
However, Premium Cataract Surgery uses advanced intraocular lenses which have the potential to reduce your dependence on glasses for both distance and near vision.
What lenses are available?
- Astigmatism-Correcting Lens – Astigmatism is a very common vision condition that causes blurred vision due to the irregular shape of the cornea. A toric intraocular lens can be used to correct astigmatism, depending on how the cornea is shaped. Toric lenses are generally used for higher levels of astigmatism while lower levels can often be corrected with incisions made in the cornea that are used to change the shape of the eye. These are called limbal relaxing incisions and can be made by hand with a blade or with the precision of a laser. While toric lenses generally provide clear distance vision, you will likely need glasses or contact lenses in order to read.
- Extended depth of focus lenses (EDoF) – these increase the depth of focus by ‘stretching’ the intermediate zone of focus as well as distance vision correction, low strength readers may be required for close work but most of the time glasses are not required.
- Multifocal lenses – these will provide the greatest range of vision and therefore the greatest independence from spectacles but this will be balanced against optical quality so that you may experience some glare or halo around lights e.g. head or taillights when driving at night. You may already experience these symptoms because of refractive error or early cataract and most people will adapt to them but they are an important consideration when choosing this type of lens implant.
CHOOSE WISELY. . .
You are unique, and so are your eyes.
Variations in genetic make-up, occupation, and eye prescription mean that no two people’s eyes are the same. Therefore, it is important that you make a choice from the full range of vision correction surgical procedures as the ’one size fits all’ approach practised in many clinics can lead to disappointment and problems.
Your lifestyle, your occupation, your personal need to wear glasses for distance and/or near vision, and a comprehensive assessment of your eye health by a specialist consultant eye surgeon are essential in choosing the safest and most effective option for you. It is essential that you know the answers to all your questions before you decide whether any vision correction surgery is right for you.