- Medically Reviewed by: Mr Mfazo Hove, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
- Author: Mr Mfazo Hove
- Published: October 2, 2025
- Last Updated: September 29, 2026
TL;DR: Cataract surgery may be appropriate when a cataract affects your vision or quality of life and the expected benefit outweighs your individual risks; you do not need to wait for it to “ripen”.¹ If it is not troubling you, monitoring may be appropriate, but the decision still depends on a clinical assessment. For Hertfordshire patients, assessment, surgery and recovery take place at One Hatfield Hospital.
Signs Surgery May Be Appropriate
- Glare and halos that make night driving feel unsafe
- Reading that defeats up-to-date glasses and good lighting
- Colours turning dull or yellow, and fading confidence in daily tasks
- Prescription changes that no longer deliver clear vision
The One Hatfield Diagnostic Pathway
Before any lens is chosen, REVO FC OCT (optical coherence tomography, a detailed eye scan) assesses the macula, the central part of the retina, and the optic nerve. Lenstar biometry measures the eye for lens-power calculation, while Nidek autorefraction provides an automated estimate of your prescription.
For lens-based vision correction surgery, these measurements help inform the lens discussion. Monofocal, toric, EDOF (extended depth of focus) and trifocal options are discussed against your measurements and lifestyle, with the trade-offs of each set out in our IOL lens guide.²
What Surgery Feels Like
Cataract surgery is generally brief and well tolerated under local anaesthesia. Most patients report no pain or only mild sensation: light, water and gentle pressure rather than discomfort, although no operation is risk-free.³
In Mr Hove’s routine practice the surgical component takes approximately four to six minutes for a routine uncomplicated eye, with complex cases taking longer. Allow around two hours for the complete visit.
Where both eyes are suitable, same-day bilateral surgery is performed as two completely separate sterile procedures.⁴
Recovery and Driving
Many patients notice improvement within 24 to 48 hours, with the eye settling over several weeks.
Do not drive yourself home after surgery. Resume driving only when your vision has recovered sufficiently, you meet the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) eyesight standards and your consultant advises that it is safe to do so. Your postoperative instructions will explain how this is assessed.
Outcomes to Check When Choosing the Best Private Cataract Surgery
Blue Fin Vision® has recorded no case of endophthalmitis, a serious infection inside the eye, across approximately 36,000 consecutive cataract and refractive lens exchange procedures over around six years. In Mr Hove’s latest audit of approximately 5,600 cataract operations, the posterior capsule, the membrane that supports the lens implant, was preserved in approximately 99.8% of eyes.
These results form part of six consecutive years of outcomes published using National Ophthalmology Database methodology, set out alongside the Blue Fin Vision® Advantage. Published figures of this kind are more meaningful than “best surgeon” language: they can be checked, compared and questioned. National audit publications define the benchmarks against which results of this kind are compared.⁵
Blue Fin Vision® is Spear’s 500 Top Recommended, listed in the Tatler Address Book 2026, and holds three Doctify Outstanding Patient Experience Awards (2024, 2025 and 2026).
Next Steps at One Hatfield Hospital
Surgery and recovery take place at One Hatfield Hospital, minutes from the A1(M) for patients across Hertfordshire. Review cataract surgery, costs and the patient checklist, then book a paid, consultant-led cataract consultation.
References
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Cataracts in adults: management. NICE guideline NG77. London: NICE; 2017 (last reviewed May 2025). Available from: NICE guideline NG77
- Chen SP, Woreta F, Chang DF. Cataracts: a review. JAMA. 2025;333(23):2093-2103.
- Porela-Tiihonen S, Kaarniranta K, Kokki H. Postoperative pain after cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2013;39(5):789-798.
- Dickman MM, Spekreijse LS, Winkens B, Schouten JSAG, Simons RWP, Dirksen CD, Nuijts RMMA. Immediate sequential bilateral surgery versus delayed sequential bilateral surgery for cataracts. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;4(4):CD013270.
- Royal College of Ophthalmologists. National Ophthalmology Database Audit: Cataract Audit 8th Annual Report. London: Royal College of Ophthalmologists; 2025. Available from: NOD Cataract Audit Year 8 report
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr Mfazo Hove
MBChB MD FRCOphth CertLRS
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon | Founder and Medical Director, Blue Fin Vision®
Mr Mfazo Hove is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon with more than two decades of experience across NHS and private practice and more than 57,000 ophthalmic procedures performed. He trained for six and a half years at Moorfields Eye Hospital and served for five years as an NHS consultant at the Western Eye Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
He specialises in cataract surgery, refractive lens replacement, laser vision correction and implantable Collamer lenses (ICL). He is the founder and Medical Director of Blue Fin Vision®, a private ophthalmology group providing consultant-delivered care across London, Hertfordshire and Essex. His cataract surgery outcomes are publicly reported through the National Ophthalmology Database.
A ZEISS Key Opinion Leader and international speaker, Mr Hove is a contributing author to The Ophthalmologist and Ophthalmology Times. His writing examines how clinical governance and the organisation of ophthalmic services shape patients’ experiences and outcomes, with a focus on transparent outcome reporting, surgical training and long-term accountability for patient care.
