Private Cataract Surgery Haywards Heath

Cataracts can gradually interfere with the quality of your sight, making familiar activities such as driving, reading, watching television or seeing in low-light conditions more demanding. If deteriorating vision is beginning to restrict what you do, a cataract consultation can establish whether surgery could improve your eyesight. Patients from Haywards Heath can travel to Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton clinic for consultant-led private cataract treatment, with diagnostic investigations used to understand the condition of your eyes and determine the most appropriate treatment approach.

To find out whether private cataract surgery could be suitable for you, book a Free Online Consultation with us.

Cataracts affect people differently and don’t necessarily cause noticeable problems straight away. You might find that your glasses no longer seem to provide the same clarity, lights appear excessively bright, driving after dark becomes uncomfortable or your surroundings seem less colourful than before. Double vision in one eye or frequent prescription changes can also occur. A specialist eye examination can identify whether a cataract is contributing to these changes.

Cataract surgery involves taking out the natural lens that has lost its transparency and replacing it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). Your consultant ophthalmic surgeon performs the operation using microsurgical techniques, normally with local anaesthetic so you remain awake but the eye is numbed. Treatment is usually provided as a day case, without the need for an overnight hospital stay.

Although operating time is commonly around 20–30 minutes for each eye, additional time is required before and after the procedure. This allows the clinical team to prepare you for surgery and ensure you are ready to leave afterwards. You’ll also be shown how to use your prescribed eye drops and given information about looking after the eye during recovery and attending your follow-up appointments.

Choosing an IOL involves considering both clinical and practical factors. Detailed measurements of your eyes help determine which lenses may be suitable, while your consultant will also want to understand what matters most to you visually. For example, someone who drives frequently may have different priorities from someone who spends considerable time reading or working at a screen. Depending on your eyes, monofocal, multifocal, trifocal and Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) lenses may be discussed.

The price is determined by your treatment plan and the intraocular lens technology selected. Your eyes will first undergo the necessary consultation and diagnostic investigations. Once these have been completed, you’ll receive a treatment recommendation and an itemised quotation so that you understand the costs before proceeding.

Potentially. The artificial lens implanted during cataract surgery influences the distances at which you can see most clearly without spectacles. Premium IOL technologies can provide suitable patients with functional vision over more than one range, potentially decreasing the need for glasses during everyday life. Your consultant will discuss what each appropriate lens could achieve and where spectacles might still be beneficial.

Patients from Haywards Heath and Mid Sussex can travel to Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton clinic for private cataract surgery under the care of a consultant ophthalmic surgeon. The service combines specialist assessment and diagnostic technology with access to different intraocular lens options. This enables decisions about surgery and lens selection to take account of both your eye health and how you want your eyesight to support your work, hobbies and everyday activities.

Parking options are available for patients visiting Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton clinic. If you’re travelling by car from Haywards Heath, it’s advisable to check the most suitable parking arrangements before setting off, particularly on the day of your procedure.

No. You should arrange for a relative, friend or another responsible adult to take you home following cataract surgery. Your sight can be temporarily affected immediately after the operation, so you should not drive yourself. You’ll be given instructions before leaving about your medication, eye protection and what to avoid while the eye begins to heal.

This depends on how your eye recovers and the quality of your vision following treatment. You must not drive until your eyesight satisfies the required legal standard and you have been advised that it is safe to resume. Other activities can generally be introduced at different stages of recovery according to the instructions provided by your clinical team.

Patients travelling from Haywards Heath can usually arrange an appointment with Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton service promptly. Your consultation provides an opportunity to establish how advanced your cataract is, assess the overall health of your eyes and discuss what you would like from treatment. Your consultant can then explain the IOL technologies appropriate for you and recommend the next steps based on the findings.

• 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.