Private Cataract Surgery Worthing

Cataracts can gradually change the way you see, sometimes making vision seem hazy, reducing contrast or creating more glare around lights. You may find that reading is less comfortable, driving feels more demanding or your current glasses no longer give the clarity you expect. If these changes are starting to affect everyday life, a cataract assessment can help establish whether treatment would be beneficial. Patients from Worthing and surrounding West Sussex areas can travel to Sapphire Eye Care’s Brighton clinic for consultant-led private cataract care and a personalised discussion about treatment and lens options.

To find out whether surgery may be suitable for you, book a Free Online Consultation with Sapphire Eye Care.

Cataracts may cause blurred or misty vision, increased sensitivity to bright light, halos around headlights and difficulty seeing clearly in dim conditions. Colours can also appear less vivid, while reading or recognising detail at a distance may become harder. If you notice a gradual deterioration in your eyesight, an eye examination can confirm whether cataracts are responsible.

The cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL). The operation is usually carried out under local anaesthetic and is commonly performed as a day-case procedure. Most patients are able to leave the clinic later the same day once the immediate post-operative checks have been completed.

The procedure itself often takes around 20–30 minutes per eye, but you should allow longer for the complete visit. Preparation, clinical checks and a short recovery period are also required. If you are travelling back to Worthing, it is best to keep the rest of the day free and plan your return transport in advance.

Lens selection depends on the measurements and health of your eyes as well as the type of vision you would like after surgery. Your consultant will discuss your normal activities and visual priorities before recommending suitable options. Depending on your eyes, these may include monofocal, multifocal, trifocal or Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) IOLs.

Following your assessment, you will receive a recommendation based on your clinical requirements and chosen lens technology. Sapphire Eye Care will explain the associated costs before treatment, giving you the opportunity to consider the proposed plan before making a decision.

For suitable patients, it may. Some advanced IOLs are designed to provide useful vision across more than one distance, potentially reducing the need for glasses during certain everyday activities. Results vary between individuals, and your consultant will explain what level of spectacle independence is realistic for the lens options appropriate for you.

Patients from Worthing can reach Brighton relatively easily while accessing consultant-led cataract surgery, specialist diagnostic testing and a range of replacement lens technologies. The ability to consider different IOLs means treatment can take account of your visual goals as well as the clinical removal of the cataract.

The A27 provides a convenient road connection between Worthing and Brighton, while regular direct train services also operate between the two towns. If you are driving, journey times will vary with traffic and it is advisable to check parking arrangements before your appointment.

You should arrange for a responsible adult to accompany or collect you after your operation. Your vision may be temporarily blurred or unsettled, so you should not drive yourself back to Worthing. Your clinical team will also provide instructions about eye drops and caring for your eye once you return home.

You should only return to driving once your eyesight has recovered sufficiently to meet the legal driving standard and you have followed the advice provided by your clinical team. Recovery times vary, so there is no single timetable that applies to every patient.

No. You can contact Sapphire Eye Care directly about private cataract care without first obtaining an NHS referral. Patients from Worthing and the wider West Sussex area can start with a Free Online Consultation before arranging a detailed clinical assessment at the Brighton clinic.

• 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.