Cataract surgery is needed when the balance tips so that lens clouding is clearly reducing your quality of life and safety more than the small risks of surgery.
Practical signs that surgery is timely
Everyday experiences often give the clearest clues.
- Struggling with driving, especially at night or in bright sunlight
- Finding reading, screens, or hobbies much harder despite new glasses
- Noticing frequent trips, bumps, or uncertainty on stairs and kerbs
- Colours, contrast, and brightness feeling significantly reduced
- Friends or family noticing that you miss visual details you once saw easily
Clinical indicators
Your eye examination supports the decision.
- Cataracts graded as visually significant by your eye specialist
- Best‑corrected vision below levels needed for driving or work
- Lens opacity preventing clear view of the retina for necessary care
- Stable or manageable general health for local‑anaesthetic surgery
- Informed, voluntary choice after discussing options and expectations
