Cataracts Surgery: duration, cost and step by step

• Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations in Spain today.
• Cataract surgery lasts only 30 minutes and is performed in the operating theatre.
• The only definitive solution for cataracts is surgery, which can be performed with different types of intraocular lenses.

Cataracts are an eye pathology that occurs mainly in people over the age of 50. It consists of the progressive loss of vision due to the lens becoming opaque, causing blurred vision.

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As we have indicated, this problem is progressive, that is, the loss of vision due to cataracts occurs gradually and the patient may not realise at first that he or she is suffering from this problem.

It should also be borne in mind that cataracts do not necessarily affect both eyes equally, as each eye has its own lens, but it is possible that the patient may suffer from cataracts of greater severity in one eye than in the other.

When cataracts are very severe, the patient's vision is so blurred that it seems as if he or she is always seeing through a curtain, so the best option is cataract surgery with an intraocular lens.

The duration of cataract surgery is approximately 30 minutes in most cases, and may vary in more or less minutes depending on the skill of the surgeon, since although all ophthalmic surgeons know how to perform the intervention, based on their experience and skill, it may take more or less time.

After cataract surgery, the patient can return home on their own. After a couple of days, the patient must return to the ophthalmologist to see how the cataract surgery went and to schedule the operation on the other eye, as it is not possible to operate on both eyes at the same time.

Full recovery after cataract surgery in each eye takes approximately 2 weeks.

The price of cataract surgery at Operarme includes everything necessary to carry it out, with no surprises at the end. 

The cost of the surgery is per eye (remember that cataract surgery is performed first on one eye and then on the other).

The only difference in the cost of cataract surgery is usually directly related to the type of intraocular lens used for cataract surgery. For example, the latest generation of trifocal intraocular lenses costs more than, for example, monofocal lenses.

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With regard to the surgical assessment consultation with our ophthalmologist, which consists of meeting the doctor, showing you the medical tests and deciding whether or not to have the operation, it is free and immediate.

Below you will find everything that is included in the cost of cataract surgery with Operarme.

• Complete preoperative: The price of cataract surgery at operarme.es includes the cost of the preoperative tests necessary for the operation.
• Booking and use of the operating theatre: All our operations are carried out in the operating theatre.
• Post-operative visits: These are necessary to determine that everything has gone well.
• Ophthalmology specialist fees
• Anaesthesia fees
• Nursing team fees
• Intraocular lens (IOL) to be implanted

These intraocular lenses can be of various types depending on the improvement in the distances they correct. The use of one or another will be recommended by the ophthalmologist based on your lifestyle. We inform you more about this below:

• Cataract surgery with trifocal lenses: With these lenses, the patient recovers long, intermediate and short distance vision, these being the latest generation of intraocular lenses. The final fixed price per eye for cataract surgery with a trifocal lens is 2.700 €.
• Cataract surgery with a multifocal lens: This type of lens can correct vision at two distances, long and short. It is a substantial improvement over a monofocal lens, although glasses may still be required. The price of cataract surgery with a multifocal lens per eye is €2,500.
• Cataract surgery with monofocal lens: In this case, the monofocal intraocular lens only corrects vision from long distances, although glasses are necessary for near vision and precision work. The final closed price per eye for cataract surgery with a monofocal lens is €1,800.

As previously indicated, cataract surgery with intraocular lenses is usually performed first in one eye and approximately 15 days later in the other eye.

This surgery is performed in the operating theatre with maximum safety, with a pre-operative examination being necessary beforehand to determine whether the operation is viable or not. 

Once at the hospital, after being admitted, the patient is taken to the operating theatre, where he/she will meet the surgeon who will perform the operation and a member of the nursing team who will assist him/her.

In the operating theatre, you will be positioned as instructed by the surgeon. The patient remains awake throughout the cataract surgery, although he or she will not feel anything in the operated eye:

• First, the patient is given anaesthesia in the eye to be operated on. This can be done with topical drops that are placed directly on the eyeball or by means of injections around the eyeball. This way you will not feel anything during the operation.
• Next, the patient's entire face will be covered except for the eye to be operated on, which will be kept open throughout the surgery using an instrument called a blepharo.
• The surgeon will then make a mini-incision in the periphery of the cornea, of about 3 mm, which will be used to replace the crystalline lens.
• The first step is the introduction of a small probe that administers ultrasound to the crystalline lens by phacoemulsification, liquefying it (remember that the crystalline lens is only water and proteins) to leave space inside for the new lens.
• Using a suction cannula, the surgeon extracts the liquid that remains after the dissolution of the lens.
• The next step is the placement of the chosen intraocular lens. This is done by means of a mechanism that allows it to be inserted, folded through the incision and placed exactly where the crystalline lens used to be.
• The patient will not perceive that an intraocular lens is implanted.
• Finally, the surgeon removes the instruments and completes the cataract surgery. Nowadays it is not necessary to stitch the incision in the eye, although it depends on what the ophthalmologist considers necessary.

After the whole process, the patient can return home on their own (although they will not be able to drive, for example) and will need to return to the clinic a couple of days later, which will be indicated after the surgery, to check that everything is going well.

After two weeks, cataract surgery can be performed on the other eye.

If you are thinking of undergoing cataract surgery, you can request an immediate, free surgical assessment consultation with one of our ophthalmologists by clicking on the image below:

Do you have cataracts and need surgery?

Request a free and immediate appointment with our specialists in Ophthalmology

Make an appointment