Cataract Surgery Types

Cataract surgery improves quality of life greatly. At Optegra, we offer a range of intraocular lenses and want our patients to make an informed choice when undergoing cataract surgery. It’s important that you know what to expect when having cataract surgery, so we’ve outlined the different processes for you here.

What Are the Three Types of Cataracts?

There are three different types of intraocular lens forms offered by Optegra.

The three variations are:

1. Standard Cataract Surgery
2. Enhanced Cataract Surgery
3. Advanced Cataract surgery

The right type of cataract surgery for you will depend on your vision goals.

Standard cataract surgery would be fine for patients who are satisfied with focusing on one distance (near or far), with spectacles required for the other. Enhanced cataract surgery is designed to correct astigmatism and/or provide both distance and intermediate vision correction alongside your cataract treatment. Patients can opt for a basic lens to correct either near or distance and astigmatism, or opt for an advanced lens that will correct distance, intermediate, and near vision as well as astigmatism. Advanced cataract surgery is the ultimate choice of treatment, offering clear vision at all distances and offering patients clear vision without the need for glasses.

Optegra eye specialist wearing a mask in front of site equipment

What Is Standard Cataract Surgery?

Standard surgery involves implanting a monofocal intraocular lens. This lens is designed to focus on one distance, either near or far. The patient will then require spectacles for reading if they choose to get their far sight corrected, or distance if they choose to get their near sight corrected. If you are located near one of our hospitals offering NHS treatment, you may be able to get a referral from your GP or optician for standard cataract surgery with us. Enhanced and Advanced treatment are not available via an NHS referral.

Alternatively, explore the cost of private standard cataract surgery at Optegra.

What Is Enhanced Cataract Surgery?

Enhanced surgery is used to correct astigmatism, and you can also select enhanced monofocal lenses that provide distance and intermediate (computer vision). Astigmatism occurs when the eye is not completely spherical, so light scatters as it enters the eye. Enhanced surgery uses a toric intraocular lens to correct the astigmatism so that light focuses in the correct place on the retina. A standard monofocal toric intraocular lens will correct either distance or near and astigmatism, whereas a toric multifocal intraocular lens will correct all distances and astigmatism.

What is Advanced Cataract Surgery?

Refractive surgery is more advanced than the standard procedure; this procedure replaces the natural lens with an advanced multi-focal intraocular lens. The multifocal intraocular lens enables the patients to see more clearly at all distances (distance, intermediate (computer vision and near) and offers patients the opportunity to have the freedom from spectacles that they desire.

Does the Recovery Time Change with the Different Types of Cataract Surgeries?

The recovery experiences for the different types of cataract surgery are the same. The main difference is the improved vision outcomes that enhanced and advanced cataract surgery procedures provide.

For treatments that use multifocal intraocular lenses, there is a period of neuroadaptation where the brain gradually adapts to the IOL while getting used to focusing on all the different distances correctly (usually a few weeks). Once adapted, these patients can expect a higher visual performance than prior to surgery, with the added bonus of spectacle independence, which is not possible with a monofocal lens.

Learn more about recovering from your cataract surgery in our cataract surgery recovery guide.

What next? Get in Touch for Free, No-Obligation Advice.

At Optegra, we carry out tens of thousands of cataract procedures each year, with an impressive success rate of 99.6%. Learn more about cataract surgery at Optegra or book a no-obligation, free consultation for expert help and advice.