Adult cataracts are a progressive clouding of the lens of the eye that interferes with clear vision. The most important risk factor for the development of cataracts is age, but there are other known causes that can cause lens clouding at a much earlier age: diabetes, certain medications (steroids), eye injuries, or certain inflammatory processes.

The most characteristic symptom of cataract development is blurred, foggy, poor vision and the perception of dull, pale colors. Vision is often significantly affected by lighting conditions.

The only therapy for cataracts, which impair vision, is surgery, i.e. removal of the cataract and implantation of an intraocular lens in the eye. This is the most common and most successful surgical procedure in the world. The indication for surgery is always tailored to the individual. The primary goal of cataract surgery is to restore vision and improve vision quality and quality of life.

Prior to surgery, a complex examination is required, which involves recording the patient's medical history and performing a detailed ophthalmological examination. At this stage, we also determine the refractive power of the intraocular lens to be implanted, measured in diopters. Even with precise intraocular lens calculation methods, approximately 80% of patients achieve a refractive error of no more than 0.5 D from the planned postoperative refractive value.

In addition to cataracts, many other eye diseases can cause vision loss, which is why a detailed and thorough examination by a specialist is particularly important.

Medications taken regularly for other illnesses should also be taken on the day before surgery, including medications that affect blood clotting.

Our colleagues will be waiting for you when you arrive at the pre-arranged time. After a brief administrative process, you will be accompanied to a preparation room, where you will be given pupil-dilating, anesthetic, and antibiotic eye drops.

Then you will be accompanied to the operating room. The surgery is performed in a comfortable supine position under the light of an operating microscope, while your face is covered except for the eye being operated on. During the surgery, after dilating the eye, the lens is removed through a small incision that closes without stitches, using a modern device that utilizes ultrasonic energy. Then, an intraocular lens of a pre-selected type and diopter is implanted in place of the natural lens. The surgery usually takes less than 10 minutes, after which you will receive eye drops again, and a protective shell will be placed over your eye to protect it until the day after the surgery. The surgery is painless, but you may feel minimal, temporary pressure during the procedure, see lights of varying intensity, and feel a rinsing fluid.

The chance of complications developing during or after surgery is very low, but even with the most careful technical preparation and maximum attention, the probability is not zero.

After the surgery, one of our colleagues will accompany you from the operating room to the waiting room, where you will rest in a sitting position for 1-2 hours. We will then discuss what you need to do at home, and you can leave with assistance and accompanied by a relative. You should spend the first day at home resting.

After the surgery, you may experience temporary mild stinging, a foreign body sensation, mild pain, and sensitivity, for which you can take a general painkiller tablet.

After the surgery, you will need to use eye drops for 1-2 weeks. We will discuss their use and frequency of application, as well as the follow-up appointment after the surgery. After the surgery, you can read and watch TV, but you must not remove the protective shell from your eye on the day of the surgery!

After the surgery, you should expect a recovery period, which requires patience. For this reason, it often takes only a few days, but sometimes up to 1-2 weeks for the final visual acuity to develop. If you have other eye diseases (diabetes, glaucomatic damage, or age-related macular degeneration), your vision may not be as good as expected even after a successful surgery. If you experience severe pain, rapid deterioration of your initially improving vision, or increasing redness of the eye during the days/weeks of recovery, you need to see an ophthalmologist immediately! Months or years after surgery, thickening of the posterior capsule of the lens may develop, causing vision loss. This can be corrected with a quick, painless laser treatment.

In modern eye surgery era, it is now possible in certain cases to remove the lens, which is otherwise optically clear (i.e., not cloudy) but does not function properly. From the age of 45-50, the lens slowly begins to change as part of a natural process, which also means changes in refraction and vision quality. In the case of a poorly functioning lens, stronger diopter glasses are needed for both distance and near vision, as it continuously and slowly loses its youthful elasticity. In addition, vision quality, contrast sensitivity, and night vision slowly deteriorate. It is typical for rings, glare, and light scattering to appear around light sources during the day and/or at night.

If surgery is performed for this reason, it is called refractive lens exchange (anti-glasses lens replacement), the aim of which is to achieve independence from glasses, i.e. good vision without glasses, or in other words, to eliminate the need for both distance glasses and reading glasses to a greater extent.

Refractive lens exchange is typically considered for patients over the age of 50 in cases where neither glasses, contact lenses, nor laser corneal treatments provide adequate results that are acceptable for everyday life.

Refractive lens surgeries are usually performed on both eyes, with the two surgeries taking place on the same day or a few weeks apart.

The surgery is technically identical to cataract surgery: the lens is removed using the most modern technique available, under local anesthesia, and replaced with a special, premium intraocular lens. These artificial lenses enable us to provide excellent distance vision without glasses, while also eliminating the need for reading glasses for monitor distance and average-sized letters. It is important to note that complete independence from glasses cannot be achieved in all cases; low-diopter glasses may be necessary for reading small print in some cases.

A detailed specialist examination is necessary to rule out other eye diseases that impair vision in order to achieve a good result.

The choice of intraocular lens to be implanted will ultimately determine postoperative vision, visual quality, and quality of life, so the decision requires careful consideration. In everyday practice, we basically distinguish between monofocal (single-focus), trifocal, and extended depth of focus intraocular lenses, but premium intraocular lenses that do not fit neatly into these categories are now also available. Premium lenses are those that provide improved visual acuity at medium distances (monitor distance) and reading distances.

It is important to note that with premium lenses, some compromise will likely be necessary, as perfect vision and perfect image quality cannot be achieved simultaneously at all distances and for small print. In other words, even today's advanced technology cannot restore vision to its youthful state.

In addition to these, cylinder correction may also be necessary for some types in certain cases, which can be achieved with toric lenses. If toric lenses are not used when necessary, glasses will be required for both distance and close-up vision.

With monofocal intraocular lenses, excellent distance vision and visual quality can typically be achieved after surgery, but glasses will be needed for work, monitor distance, and close-up, i.e. near vision. We implant these lenses if the patient requests them or if any other eye condition limits the chance of achieving 100% vision after surgery (retinal damage caused by diabetes, severe glaucoma, diseases of the center of the retina).

Trifocal intraocular lenses provide excellent distance vision as well as good vision at intermediate distances (e.g., computer monitors) and reading distances. However, due to the optical design of the lens, there is a trade-off in that the chance of light scattering is greater than with extended focus lenses. These disturbing light phenomena (circles around headlights, rings, halos, starburst patterns) can be more distracting when driving at night, but they can also occur during the day. Although these disturbances are known to decrease in the months following surgery, they can be a major compromise for regular driving and night driving.

Extended depth of focus intraocular lenses provide excellent distance vision as well as good vision at intermediate distances (e.g., to a monitor) and for average font sizes. This is sufficient, for example, for using a cell phone and viewing text in a word processor at a font size of approximately 10. These lenses are generally not suitable for reading small print, but this compromise is offset by the significantly reduced chance of light scattering. The chance of these disturbing light phenomena is still not zero, but they are much less distracting than with trifocal lenses, especially when driving at night.

A new premium intraocular lens with artificial intelligence-developed spiral optical technology could usher in a new era in vision quality. Available from spring 2025, this intraocular lens offers excellent visual acuity at far distance, at intermediate distances, and at reading distances, as well as up close to approximately 3.0 diopters, which is usually more than enough for everyday life. In addition, there is minimal occurrence of disturbing light phenomena even in low light conditions, and when they do occur, they are reported to fade very quickly.