UNDERSTANDING CATARACT SURGERY
BE PREPARED AND LEAD THE CONVERSATION WITH CONFIDENCE
What to Expect with Cataract Surgery
Have you or someone you love been diagnosed with cataracts?
Cataracts are a normal part of aging. Along with guidance from your eye care professional, the information below will help you understand your next steps. Cataracts form gradually as our eyes get older, and 9 in 10 Americans develop them by the time they’re 65.1 The good news is that cataract surgery is one of the safest, most common, and most effective procedures performed today.2
Cataract surgery is a routine procedure that involves removing the natural lens in the eye that has become cloudy and replacing it with an artificial lens (known as an intraocular lens or IOL). The only way to treat cataracts is through cataract surgery.3 This safe and highly successful procedure is performed by an ophthalmologist in under an hour.3
During surgery, your doctor will replace your cataract with an intraocular lens
You will receive local anesthetics to numb the area around your eye and you may be given a sedative to help you relax.3 Through a tiny incision, the surgeon removes your clouded lens and replaces your original lens with the intraocular lens.3
Recovery after cataract surgery is usually very quick
Within a few days most patients can return to their daily activities, with vision improving over time.3
After surgery, your doctor will monitor the healing process
Eye drops may be prescribed to prevent infection or reduce inflammation. Patients usually see their ophthalmologist a day or two after surgery, the following week, and then again after one month.3
Intraocular lenses are used in cataract surgery to replace the natural lens of the eye. Extraction of a cataract and replacement with an intraocular lens will require surgery and all surgery carries risks. Please consult your eye care professional to determine if this product is right for you. If you experience any symptoms, consult your eye care professional as the symptoms may be a sign of other eye problems.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cataract Surgery
Get the information you need to guide you to an informed decision about the cataract replacement lens that best fits your budget and your lifestyle.
HOW LONG DOES CATARACT SURGERY TAKE?
Cataract surgery generally lasts under an hour, usually 10-15 minutes. You will be given local anesthetics to numb the area around your eye and sometimes a sedative to help you relax.3 There are several factors that can affect cataract surgery operating time including how advanced the cataract is, your medical health, and even your pupil size. It is important to follow any pre-operative instructions given to you by your doctor to ensure the procedure runs as smoothly as possible.
WHAT’S THE RECOVERY TIME AFTER CATARACT SURGERY?
Recovery time after cataract surgery is usually very quick, and within a few days most patients can return to their daily activities, with vision improving over time.3 You may experience some mild discomfort after cataract surgery, such as itching or inflammation, so your doctor may prescribe eye drops to help prevent infection.3 After surgery, your doctor will monitor your healing progress at scheduled appointments a day or two after surgery, the following week, and then again after one month.3
WHAT STEPS SHOULD YOU TAKE IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING CATARACT SURGERY?
If you have cataracts, you have an important choice to make when it comes to the kind of vision you want after cataract surgery. Talk to your doctor about your treatment options as well as your vision goals if you are considering cataract surgery.
Lead the Conversation
You have options when it comes to your intraocular lenses. Lead the conversation with your doctor to understand the cataract lens choice that’s right for you.
Find a cataract surgeon near you
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IMPORTANT PRODUCT INFORMATION - CLAREON® FAMILY OF IOLS
CAUTION: Restricted by law to sale by or on the order of a physician.
DESCRIPTION: The Clareon® Family of Lenses are artificial lenses implanted in the eye of adult patients following cataract surgery. The Clareon® Aspheric Hydrophobic Acrylic IOLs are designed to allow for clear distance vision. However, you will likely still need glasses for reading and for distance vision particularly if you already have astigmatism. The Clareon® PanOptix® Trifocal Hydrophobic IOL is a type of multifocal lens (sometimes called “presbyopia-correcting IOL”) designed to allow for clear distance, intermediate, and near vision with the potential to be more independent of the need to use glasses for daily tasks. The Clareon® Vivity® Extended Vision Hydrophobic Posterior Chamber IOL provides clear distance vision, and better intermediate and some near vision compared to a monofocal IOL. The Clareon® Aspheric Toric, Clareon® PanOptix® Toric, and Clareon® Vivity® Toric IOLs are also designed to correct pre-existing corneal astigmatism, which is the inability of the eye to focus clearly at any distance because of difference curvatures on the cornea, and provide distance vision.
WARNINGS / PRECAUTIONS: You may experience and need to contact your eye doctor immediately if you have any of the following symptoms after cataract surgery: itching, redness, watering of your eye, sensitivity to light. The safety and effectiveness of these IOLs have not been established in patients with eye conditions, such as an increase in eye pressure (glaucoma) or complications of diabetes in the eye (diabetic retinopathy). As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved. These risks may include but are not limited to infection, damage to the lining of the cornea, the retinal layer which lines the inside back wall of your eye may become separated from the tissue next to it (retinal detachment), inflammation or swelling inside or outside the eye, damage to the iris (the colored diaphragm around the pupil), or an increase in eye pressure that cannot be controlled by medicine and secondary surgical procedure. There is a possibility that the IOL may be placed incorrectly or could move within the eye. This may result in less improvement or a reduction in vision, or it may cause visual symptoms. The Clareon® Aspheric Toric, Clareon® PanOptix® Toric, and Clareon® Vivity® Toric IOLs correct astigmatism only when placed in the correct position in the eye. There is a possibility that these Toric IOLs could be placed incorrectly or could move within the eye. This may result in less improvement or a reduction in vision because your astigmatism has not been fully corrected, or it may cause visual symptoms. With the Clareon® PanOptix® and Clareon® Vivity® IOLs, there may be a loss of sharpness of your vision that may become worse in dim light or in foggy conditions. There is also a possibility that you may have some visual effects such as rings or circles (halos) around lights at night. You may also have trouble seeing street signs due to bright lights or glare from oncoming headlights.
ATTENTION: As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved. Prior to surgery, ask your eye doctor to provide you with the Patient Information Brochure for the lens to be implanted. This Brochure which will inform you of the risks and benefits associated with the IOL. Discuss any questions about possible risks and benefits associated with your eye doctor.
REFERENCES
1. Cataract. Kellogg Eye Center website. https://www.umkelloggeye.org/conditions-treatments/cataract. Accessed March 9, 2023.
2. Davis G. The Evolution of Cataract Surgery. Mo Med. 2016;113(1):58-62.
3. Cataract Surgery. Mayo Clinic web page. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cataract-surgery/about/pac-20384765. Accessed March 8, 2023.