Everything starts with a consultation with our friendly Vision Scotland team. Our experts will check all aspects of your vision, before recommending the best cataract treatment for you. During your consultation we’ll explain the whole procedure, answer your questions and put your mind at rest.
At Vision Scotland we do our best to make our cataract pricing clear and transparent. There are different options. We encourage you to speak to the Vision Scotland patient care team if you would like to talk through your options.
Most cataract surgeons in the UK perform 300-400 cataract operations each year. Vision Scotland surgeons perform 2000 cataract operations each year and are recognised national experts in their field. As a result of this they are often asked to treat patients whose cataracts are high risk/complex/advanced cases which carry a longer surgical time, a higher risk of complications and additional surgery, and which require their expertise for the best chances of a good outcome.
If you require ‘complex’ surgery your additional fee and the clinical issue will be discussed with you at your first consultation.
In general, the best candidates for laser eye surgery are people who:
This is a very common procedure for the consultants at Vision Scotland so there is nothing to worry about. We’ll numb the eye before making a small incision in the surface of the eye. It’s not as bad as it sounds – we promise. Then we use ultrasound to dissolve the natural, cloudy lens. Once that’s done we’ll replace it with an artificial lens and that’s it. The eye will heal itself in just a couple of days.
All surgery has risks but cataract surgery is one of the safest. Every year in the UK around 400,000 are carried out – and the success rate is above 98%. With Vision Scotland, it’s actually above 99.5%.
You’ll be surprised how quick it’s all over. You shouldn’t be in theatre for more than 20 minutes – but you should expect to be at one of Vision Scotland’s private hospitals for 3-4 hours.
You’ll leave theatre wearing clear shields (to protect your eyes while they heal) and rest for a couple of hours in our recovery suite. Before being discharged our ophthalmologist will come and make sure everything is okay and talk you through your Vision Scotland tailor-made aftercare plan. Once home, make sure you rest and use your antibiotic eye drops as directed. You’ll find your vision is better than before the surgery in just a few days and will continue to improve over the next few weeks.
Our cataract surgery starts from £2,500 per eye for standard lenses. Trifocal toric lenses are £4,200 per eye. See individual hospitals for pricing.
This is called secondary cataract – or officially ‘posterior capsular opacification’. This condition, which affects around 1 in 8 people, is when the membrane also becomes cloudy. In standard cataract surgery, this is intentionally left untouched but can be corrected with further surgery.
No, as long as it’s carried out by an experienced consultant ophthalmologist you should have an exceptionally low risk. However, left untreated, cataracts can lead to blindness. Vision Scotland would recommend treating it as soon as you can.
Vision Scotland’s success rates are great across all types of lenses. However, with trifocals you could also define failure as needing glasses after surgery. So, the success criteria following trifocal surgery is much more stringent.
Vision Scotland don’t usually use any stitches but in the rare occasions we do, they are removed after 4 to 6 weeks.
Follow the advice of your Vision Scotland surgeon but they’re usually worn for 24 hours following surgery and overnight for the first week post surgery.
Yes. Vision Scotland replace your natural lens with an artificial one, which can never develop cataract.
In Vision Scotland’s experience, insurers will cover treatment for both eyes. If you have cataracts on both sides, they will only get worse. It is important that you have surgery on both eyes as close together as possible so you do not feel unbalanced for a long period. If you experience resistance from your health insurance company, our Vision Scotland surgeon will write to your insurer directly to advise as such.
