Private Cataract Surgery Hove

Cataracts can gradually alter the quality of your vision, sometimes making colours appear duller, fine detail harder to distinguish and glare more troublesome when driving or spending time outdoors. If changes in your eyesight are beginning to limit your usual activities, a specialist cataract assessment can help establish whether treatment would be beneficial. Patients living in Hove have convenient access to consultant-led private cataract care at Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton clinic, where your eye health, prescription and personal vision goals are assessed before an individual treatment plan is recommended.

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

Cataracts often develop over a long period, so you may initially put changes in your eyesight down to ageing or needing new glasses. Common signs include increasingly blurred vision, difficulty distinguishing detail, excessive glare from sunlight or car headlights and poorer sight in low-light conditions. You might also notice colours becoming less vibrant or find yourself needing brighter illumination for close work. A thorough eye examination can determine whether cataracts are contributing to these problems.

Cataract treatment works by replacing the natural lens that has lost its clarity with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). Your consultant ophthalmic surgeon performs the procedure through a small incision, normally using local anaesthetic to numb the eye. Cataract surgery is generally undertaken as a day-case procedure, allowing you to leave the clinic once the clinical team is satisfied with your immediate recovery.

The operation itself will often take approximately 20–30 minutes per eye, although you should allow considerably longer for the complete appointment. There are checks and preparations to complete before surgery, followed by a recovery period afterwards. Before leaving the Brighton clinic, you’ll also receive information about your prescribed eye drops, caring for your eye and what to expect during the following days and weeks.

Your intraocular lens is selected using detailed measurements of your eyes alongside a discussion about what you want from your vision. Your consultant may ask about your work, driving habits, use of computers and smartphones, reading and leisure activities. These factors help establish which lens characteristics may suit you. Subject to clinical suitability, monofocal, multifocal, trifocal and Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) lenses can be considered.

The cost varies according to your individual treatment requirements and the lens technology chosen. Diagnostic measurements and your consultation are used to establish the treatment that is appropriate for your eyes. You’ll then receive a clear quotation for the proposed procedure, allowing you to review the costs before making your decision.

For appropriately selected patients, cataract surgery can provide an opportunity to become less dependent on spectacles. Certain premium IOLs are designed to provide usable eyesight at a broader selection of distances, which can be beneficial for activities ranging from reading and digital devices to driving. However, no lens can guarantee complete freedom from glasses, and your consultant will explain the likely outcome for each option suitable for you.

For patients in Hove, Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton clinic provides convenient access to private cataract treatment without needing to travel far from the local area. Care is led by a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and supported by comprehensive diagnostic testing and a choice of intraocular lens technologies. This allows decisions about your surgery to reflect both the clinical needs of your eyes and the vision you would ideally like for everyday life.

Parking options are available for patients attending Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton clinic. If you’re making the short journey from Hove by car, it’s worth checking the most suitable parking option before your appointment, particularly when attending for your operation or a longer assessment.

Yes. You’ll need to arrange for a responsible adult to accompany or collect you following your cataract procedure. Your eyesight can be temporarily blurred after treatment, which means you cannot drive yourself home. The team will also make sure you understand your eye-drop regime, any precautions you need to follow and how to care for the operated eye.

Your eyesight will need to recover sufficiently before you return to driving. Although some patients notice clearer sight relatively quickly, you should only drive once your vision meets the required legal standard and you’ve been advised that it is safe. Your individual aftercare instructions will also explain when other activities can be resumed.

Patients living in Hove and the surrounding Brighton & Hove area can usually arrange a private cataract consultation with Sapphire Eye Care promptly. Your appointment will include an assessment of your eyesight, the health of your eyes and the extent to which cataracts are affecting your daily life. Your consultant ophthalmic surgeon can then discuss appropriate lens technologies and explain the treatment approach most suited to your individual circumstances.

• 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.