Private Cataract Surgery Dorset

Cataracts can gradually affect the sharpness, contrast and reliability of your eyesight. You may notice more difficulty with night driving, reading fine print, coping with glare or distinguishing colours as clearly as before. If these changes are beginning to interfere with everyday life, a specialist cataract assessment can help determine whether surgery is appropriate.

If you are considering private cataract surgery in Dorset, you can begin by booking a Free Online Consultation with Sapphire Eye Care.

Cataracts can cause a gradual reduction in clarity, increased glare around lights, poorer vision in dim conditions and colours appearing less bright. Some people also find that their glasses prescription changes more frequently or no longer gives the level of improvement they expect.

The cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL). The procedure is generally performed under local anaesthetic by a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and is usually completed as a day case, allowing patients to return home afterwards.

Although surgery itself commonly takes around 20–30 minutes per eye, your total time at the clinic will be longer. Preparation before the operation and checks afterwards form part of the appointment, so patients travelling from elsewhere in Dorset should plan for the full clinical visit.

Your replacement lens is selected after considering detailed eye measurements, your prescription, ocular health and the type of vision you would like after surgery. Where suitable, your consultant may discuss monofocal, multifocal, trifocal and Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) IOLs.

The cost will depend on your individual treatment requirements and the type of IOL recommended. Following your assessment, Sapphire Eye Care will explain the proposed treatment and provide the relevant pricing before you decide whether to proceed.

It may. Certain advanced IOL technologies are capable of supporting vision across several focal distances, which can reduce spectacle use for suitable patients. The result varies from person to person, and your consultant will explain the likely benefits and limitations of the lens options appropriate for you.

Sapphire Eye Care Highcliffe provides consultant-led cataract care, specialist diagnostic assessment and access to different intraocular lens technologies. Its location near the Dorset–Hampshire border makes it a convenient option for patients from Christchurch, Bournemouth, Poole and other parts of Dorset seeking private cataract treatment.

The clinic is located at Highcliffe Medical Centre, 248 Lymington Road, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 5ET. Highcliffe is accessible from many parts of Dorset via routes including the A35 and A337, with journey times varying according to your starting point and traffic conditions.

You should organise for a friend, family member or companion to collect or accompany you after the procedure. You must not drive yourself home following surgery. Before leaving, your clinical team will also explain your eye-drop routine, recovery precautions and follow-up arrangements.

There is no fixed timeframe for every patient. You should only resume driving when your eyesight meets the legal driving standard and you are following the advice provided by your clinical team.

No. Patients throughout Dorset can contact Sapphire Eye Care directly about private cataract treatment without first obtaining an NHS referral. You can start with a Free Online Consultation, followed by an appropriate clinical assessment at Sapphire Eye Care Highcliffe.

• 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.