At Suraj Eye Institute, the decision to have cataract surgery is always taken together with you. We believe a good surgical result begins with a good consultation — listening to your symptoms, examining you carefully, measuring your eye precisely, and explaining your options in language you understand.

When is Cataract Surgery Indicated?

Modern cataract surgery does not depend on the cataract being “ripe” or “mature”. The indication is functional — is the cataract interfering with the things you want to do? Typical signs you may benefit from surgery include:

• Blurred or misty vision for distance or near that is not fully corrected by glasses
• Difficulty driving at night — glare, haloes around lights, fading street signs
• Reduced ability to recognise faces or read facial expressions
• Trouble reading the newspaper, phone screen or religious texts
• Frequent change of glasses power with diminishing benefit
• Loss of contrast or colour saturation — a “yellow film” over the vision
• Work-related limitations or loss of confidence in daily activities

Situations Where We May Advise Surgery Earlier

In certain medical situations we may recommend surgery even if you are not very symptomatic:

• Phacomorphic or lens-induced glaucoma — when a swollen cataract is raising eye pressure.
• Obstruction of the view of the retina — where the cataract is preventing assessment of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma progression or macular disease.
• Paediatric cataract — where delay risks permanent amblyopia (lazy eye).
• Hypermature / white cataracts — which risk rupture or inflammation if left untreated.

What Happens at Your Pre-operative Consultation

1. Detailed history and symptom review

We begin with your own account of how your vision is affecting you. We ask about your work, hobbies, driving, reading habits, use of computers and mobile phones, and whether you are happy wearing glasses. This guides IOL choice.

2. Best-corrected vision and refraction

Distance and near vision are tested. A careful refraction confirms whether glasses alone can improve vision, or whether surgery is truly needed.

3. Slit-lamp examination

The type, density and location of the cataract are documented. The cornea, iris, pupil and lens capsule are examined — all of which influence surgical planning.

4. Intraocular pressure and angle assessment

We check for coexisting glaucoma or narrow angles, which change the surgical plan.

5. Dilated fundus examination

A full retinal examination to look for diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, epiretinal membrane or other conditions that could affect the outcome.

6. Anterion biometry

We use the Heidelberg Anterion swept-source OCT biometer to measure axial length, keratometry, anterior chamber depth and lens thickness — providing precise data for IOL power calculation and toric IOL planning.

7. Macular OCT (where indicated)

Particularly for patients with diabetes, advanced age, past retinal disease or unexplained reduced vision, we perform a pre-operative macular OCT to rule out conditions that might limit the post-operative result.

8. Counselling and IOL selection

This is a conversation — not a sales pitch. We discuss monofocal, multifocal/trifocal, EDOF and toric IOLs, and together choose what is right for you. See our dedicated guide to choosing the right IOL.

How the Final Decision Is Made

After the assessment we present what we have found — the type of cataract, the likely visual gain from surgery, your options for IOL, and any specific risks that apply to your eye. If surgery is clearly indicated and you are ready, we plan it together. If we feel you can wait, we will tell you so. If another condition is the real cause of your visual problem, we will address that first.

We will never recommend surgery unless we are confident it is in your interest.