Private Cataract Surgery Poole

Cataracts can gradually interfere with the way you use your vision every day. You may find that detail is harder to see, headlights cause more glare, colours appear less vivid or activities such as reading and driving become more demanding. If these changes are starting to affect your confidence or independence, a cataract assessment can help establish whether surgery would be appropriate.

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

Common signs include increasing blur, reduced contrast, difficulty seeing clearly in low light and greater sensitivity to bright lights or glare. Some people also notice that colours look washed out or that updating their glasses no longer restores the clarity they expect.

The natural lens affected by cataract is removed and replaced with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL). The procedure is normally carried out under local anaesthetic by a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and is usually completed as day-case surgery.

The operation itself typically takes around 20–30 minutes per eye, but your full visit will take longer because of preparation and post-operative checks. Patients travelling back to Poole should therefore allow sufficient time for the complete appointment rather than planning around the surgical time alone.

Your consultant will assess your prescription, eye health, detailed measurements and preferred visual outcome before recommending an IOL. Depending on clinical suitability, this may include monofocal, multifocal, trifocal or Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) lenses.

The price will depend on your individual treatment plan and the replacement lens recommended. Following your assessment, you will receive details of the proposed surgery and associated costs before deciding whether you wish to proceed.

For some patients, yes. Advanced IOL technologies can support useful vision across more than one viewing range and may therefore reduce spectacle dependence. Results vary, so your consultant will explain what each suitable lens option is likely to achieve for your eyes.

Patients travelling from Poole can access consultant-led cataract care, comprehensive diagnostic testing and a wider selection of IOL technologies at Sapphire Eye Care Highcliffe. The clinic offers a convenient option for those seeking specialist private cataract treatment without travelling towards London.

The clinic is located at Highcliffe Medical Centre, 248 Lymington Road, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 5ET. By car, the journey from Poole is generally via the A35 towards Christchurch and then the A337, typically taking around 30–40 minutes depending on traffic.

Yes. You should arrange for a friend, relative or companion to collect or accompany you after your operation. You must not drive yourself home, and your clinical team will provide guidance on medication, eye care and recovery before you leave.

This varies according to your recovery. You should only drive once your eyesight meets the legal driving standard and you are following the advice given by your clinical team.

Yes. Patients from Poole and surrounding Dorset areas can contact Sapphire Eye Care directly about private cataract care. You can start with a Free Online Consultation, with a clinical assessment at the Highcliffe clinic arranged where appropriate.

• 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.