Preparing for surgery

Cataract Surgery is usually performed under local anaesthetic while you are awake. Your clinical team can discuss this with you if you have concerns about being awake during surgery.

The procedure is normally carried out using local anaesthetic to numb the eye. You may notice unusual sensations or pressure, but the eye will be numb during surgery.

Some mild soreness, grittiness or irritation can occur afterwards while the eye heals.

Most procedures take only a few minutes per eye. You will be at the clinic longer than that: expect to be in theatre for around 20 minutes, and to allow roughly two hours overall for pre-operative scans, the procedure itself and your aftercare checks.

Exact timings vary by treatment, and your consultation will talk you through what to expect on the day.

Our surgeons have performed a combined 30,000+ laser eye surgeries, with individual surgeons specialising in specific procedures such as LASIK and PRK.

Your procedure will be performed by one of our Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeons. You will meet your surgeon as part of your treatment journey, ahead of your procedure date.

Avoid contact lenses for a week beforehand, skip make-up, perfume and stimulants such as tea or coffee on the day, eat something before you come, and arrange a lift rather than driving yourself. Your clinic team will give you the full pre-surgery advice document, which sets out everything in detail.

Yes absolutely. But please allow 48 hours between tinting and surgery.

Yes, you can eat eat drink before your surgery but we would request that you avoid caffeine.

Don't panic! You will have no pain during surgery as you will have anaesthetic drops placed in the eyes, which will completely numb your eyes.

No, you will not be put to sleep during surgery as you will need to be able to follow instructions during the procedure.

If you wear contacts, we would request that you stop wearing them 7 days prior to surgery (for daily disposables), or 1 month prior to surgery (for hard lenses.)

We do not provide valium. If you are getting your own prescription, please inform the surgery team and do not take it on the day until you have spoken to the surgeon as it can affect your surgery.

If you are unwell, please get details of all symptoms and contact the clinic in order to dicuss.

Due to advancements in Eye Surgery, it is perfectly safe to treat both eyes on the same day. In total, it takes approximately 10-15 minutes to have both eyes treated. If for any reason you would prefer to have your eyes treated separately, we can arrange this for you at no extra charge.

During your surgery, you will be in theatre for around 20 minutes, though the actual treatment is much quicker than this. We usually allow roughly 2 hours for repeat scans or preoperative consultation, but you will not be in the clinic for the whole day.

We have surgery frequently, up to 3-4 days a week.