A plan by age
Ages 55+
Less dependence on glasses. Cataract surgery and a customised lens exchange are the more natural route.
The options
The lens is usually the reason for a change
Past 55, laser is less often the useful operation. The natural lens is either cloudy, or still clear but no longer worth keeping if the aim is to rely less on glasses.
When the lens has clouded
Cataract surgery
The cloudy lens is removed and replaced with an acrylic implant. There is no need to wait until a cataract is “ripe”. The usual reason to go ahead is that everyday seeing has become difficult: reading, driving, bright light, cooking, getting about.
The Implant
Measurements of the eye decide the lens. Extended-depth and trifocal implants are used when they fit. That choice is made in the consultation.
Recovery
About 30 to 40 minutes, with anaesthetic drops, and home a few hours later. A clear shield stays on overnight. The eye can look red for a few days. Small cuts usually need no stitches.
When the lens is still clear
Customised lens exchange
The same operation as cataract surgery, done while the natural lens is still clear. The reason is dependence on glasses, not a clouded lens. The implant is chosen for the distances you want to keep: distance, near, a blend, or a multifocal or extended-depth lens when the cornea allows it.
Suits
Glasses or varifocals getting in the way, in an eye that is not a laser candidate. That eye will not need cataract surgery later.
Recovery
Usual activities in two or three days. Vision is usually stable in three to six weeks. Glasses can still be part of the result. Glaucoma and macular change are separate, and still need a check about every two years.
Another age