As you get into older age it is normal to have minor cloudiness of the lens. However significant cloudiness – or cataracts – can slowly worsen and at this point surgery to remove the damaged lens is the only way to restore your normal vision. In many cases it is not necessary to have cataract surgery if your vision is not significantly affected. For example if you are still able to carry out everyday tasks like reading and recognising faces without significant difficulty.

In comparison to many other surgical procedures cataract surgery is relatively straightforward. The full procedure will typically take between 30 and 45 minutes. You will be given a local anaesthetic, which means you will recover faster and therefore you’ll be able to leave the same day as the operation. The surgery involves removing the damaged lens from your eye. When the lens has been removed, the surgeon inserts a small plastic lens, called an intraocular implant, also known as an intraocular lens. Once the procedure is complete you are taken to a ward so you can recover before leaving the hospital later that day.

You will have a pre-assessment appointment with your consultant in Yeovil Hospital and if you require a cataract operation you will be operated on at The Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne. All follow-up appointments will typically be at Yeovil Hospital.

The surgery will be completed by one of our ophthalmology consultants. Mr and Mrs Shah are a husband and wife team, they both offer private cataract surgery via the Kingston Wing at Yeovil Hospital and at The Yeatman Hospital in Dorset. Mr Paritosh Shah and Mrs Brinda Shah, bring with them a wealth of experience.

Mr Paritosh Shah joined Yeovil from Moorfields Eye Hospital having completed a fellowship in Medical retina and inflammatory eye disease.

Mrs Brinda Shah joins us from King’s Hospital in London and her special interest is glaucoma. She has completed her fellowship in Glaucoma at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2012 following which she did a further Glaucoma research and clinical fellowship in Glaucoma at the prestigious St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

No, you will be given a local anaesthetic so you can remain awake whilst the surgeon completes the procedure.

If you have cataracts in both eyes, the procedure will typically be carried out on two separate occasions. We recommend that these procedures are carried out a few weeks apart so that the first eye has time to heal.