Private Cataract Surgery Christchurch

Cataracts can slowly change how clearly you see the world around you. Vision may become less crisp, bright lights can feel uncomfortable and tasks such as reading small print or driving after dark may become more challenging. If these changes are beginning to affect your independence or daily routine, a cataract assessment can determine whether treatment is appropriate.

If you are exploring private cataract surgery in Christchurch, you can start by booking a Free Online Consultation with Sapphire Eye Care.

Cataracts do not always cause obvious symptoms at first. Over time, you might notice blurred vision, increased sensitivity to glare, difficulty seeing in poor light or colours appearing duller than before. Frequent changes to your glasses prescription can also be a sign that your eyes should be assessed.

The cloudy lens inside the eye is removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). Cataract surgery is generally carried out under local anaesthetic by a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and is normally completed as a day-case procedure, without an overnight hospital stay.

Surgery itself commonly takes around 20–30 minutes per eye. Your overall appointment will be longer because time is required before the procedure for preparation and afterwards for appropriate clinical checks. Patients returning to Christchurch should therefore allow plenty of time for the complete visit.

Lens selection is based on detailed measurements of your eyes together with your prescription, ocular health and preferred visual outcome. Where clinically suitable, your consultant may consider monofocal, multifocal, trifocal or Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) IOLs and explain the differences between them.

Your treatment cost will depend on your individual surgical plan and the IOL selected. Following your assessment, you will be given details of the recommended treatment and the associated price before making a decision about surgery.

That depends partly on your eyes and the type of replacement lens implanted. Some advanced IOLs can support useful vision at several distances, potentially allowing suitable patients to rely less frequently on glasses. Your consultant can advise what outcome is realistic in your individual case.

Private treatment offers access to consultant-led care, specialist diagnostics and a wider choice of replacement lens technologies. For patients living in Christchurch, Sapphire Eye Care Highcliffe also provides the advantage of accessing specialist cataract care close to home.

The clinic is located at Highcliffe Medical Centre, 248 Lymington Road, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 5ET. From central Christchurch, the journey by car is typically around 10–15 minutes, depending on traffic, making the clinic particularly accessible for local patients.

You should plan for a friend, family member or other responsible adult to accompany you home. You cannot drive immediately after the operation, and your clinical team will provide guidance on eye drops, precautions and recovery before you leave.

There is no single recovery timeframe that applies to every patient. You should only return to driving when your eyesight meets the legal driving standard and you are following the advice given by your clinical team.

No. Patients in Christchurch and surrounding Dorset communities can approach Sapphire Eye Care directly about private cataract care. You can begin with a Free Online Consultation, with an appropriate clinical assessment at the Highcliffe clinic arranged as the next step.

• After surgery you may experience some pain. Simple paracetamol is usually enough to control this.
• The eyelids will be a bruised and swollen. Bruising will take approximately 2 weeks to settle. Swelling is greatly reduced after 2 weeks but may not completely resolve for several months.
• Some people report not feeling ‘back to normal’ for up to 6 months after surgery.
• Initially it may feel difficult for you to close your eyelids and this will be managed with eye ointments.
• It is important not to have surgery too close to important events, in case you have not fully recovered in time.

• Dermatochalasis is excess of eyelid skin. It can present as an extra fold of skin, which may overhang the upper eyelashes.
• It is caused by the skin loosing its elasticity, usually due to age but is also seen in some medical conditions such as Thyroid related.
• It may be associated with prolapse of orbital fat causing the eyelid to bulge (eye bags). This may occur in the upper or lower eyelid.
• The lower lid may be lax or loose, which may cause it to sag or hang lower than in youth.

• A blepharoplasty is an operation to rejuvenate the eyelids and in some cases can improve vision where excess skin is obscuring it.
• It usually involves removal of excess eyelid skin.
• Depending on an individual, muscle or fat underlying the skin may also be removed, repositioned or tightened surgically.
• The procedure can be carried out in the upper or lower eyelid

Upper eyelid blepharoplasty:

• At the beginning of the operation the amount of skin to be removed will be carefully assessed. Marks will be drawn on the eyelid with a sterile marking pen to assist the surgeon during the procedure.
• The incision is based in the skin crease of the upper lid, which helps to minimise any sign that you have had upper lid surgery.
• After this, local anaesthetic will be injected under the skin of the eyelid and excess skin is then removed.
• Depending on your particular needs, the muscle beneath the skin may be preserved or partially removed.
• If there is fat prolapse, this may be treated with partial fat removal or repositioning.
• Sutures are placed to reform the natural skin crease in the eyelid.
• The skin edges are sutured together with either a continuous suture that is removed one week later or absorbable sutures that will naturally fall out after 2-3 weeks.
• It may be performed alone or in conjunction with other procedures such as lower eyelid surgery, ptosis surgery or brow surgery.

Lower eyelid blepharoplasty:

• There are several elements to lower lid blepharoplasty: skin, muscle, fat and eyelid laxity. The procedure will be tailored to your needs.
• Fat prolapse in the lower eyelid gives the appearance of ‘eye bags’. This fat can be excised or repositioned over the orbital rim to create a smoother transition from the eyelid into the cheek.
• Surgery on the prolapsed fat may be done without a skin incision from the inside of the eyelid – transconjunctival or via a skin incision just beneath the eyelashes – transcutaneous.
• The lower eyelid usually needs to be tightened at the time of surgery. Even a small amount of lid laxity can lead to postoperative lower lid retraction or ectropion if not addressed at the time of surgery.
• The orbicularis muscle, which lies directly beneath the skin is often tightened by placing sutures from it to the bony rim of the orbit – ‘orbicularis suspension’.
• Lower eyelid skin is excised in much smaller amounts than in the upper lid. This is to avoid the unwanted side effect following surgery of eyelid retraction.

• Bleeding and bruising.
• Over or under correction of excess skin with the potential for residual bulging after surgery. Under correction does not usually necessitate revision surgery and is relatively common and preferable to over correction. Over correction results from removal of too much eyelid skin and/or fat with a resultant cosmetic sunken appearance to the eyelids after blepharoplasty).
• Asymmetry of the shape of the eyelids.
• Dry eye requiring the use of artificial teardrops temporarily blurred vision, which is usually temporary.
• Weak or limited eyelid blink (occurs due to excessive scarring)
• Weak or limited eyelid closure (especially at night)
• Should the cornea break down, partial closure of the eye with sutures may be necessary to protect it. Further corrective surgery may be necessary.
• Recurrence of excess skin/bag.
• The need for further eyelid surgery in the future.
• Cysts or whiteheads along suture sites.
• Temporary patches of numbness of the eyelids.
• Orbital haemorrhage with a potential for permanent visual loss
• Infection
• Scarring, or persistent eyelid swelling, and other unusual skin changes, especially in patients with thin sensitive skin, are extremely rare complications.

Crow’s feet are not generally improved by blepharoplasty. Smile lines are not improved by blepharoplasty and may change after surgery. In addition to the risks specific to the individual procedure, there are also general risks, such as blood loss, infection, cardiac arrest, airway problems and blood clots, which are associated with any surgical procedure. Local anaesthetic may cause bruising or possible allergic responses. If your operation is to be carried out under general anaesthetic, the anaesthetist will discuss this with you.

• Both eyelid dermatochalasis and eyebrow ptosis may reduce the visual field due to the hooding of skin over the eyelid; surgery can therefore improve visual function and relieve some headaches.
• It also will improve the appearance of the eyes with a fresher more awake look.

If you choose not to have this surgery, the appearance and symptoms caused by the excess skin or fat is not likely to improve and may worsen over time, although this will not have any permanent detrimental effect on your vision or general health.