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Changes in acuity after surgery

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • 80-90% of eyes achieve a visual acuity of 6/12 or better after cataract surgery
  • if eyes with pre-existing ocular pathology such as glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration are excluded, then this figure increases to 90-95%
  • following phacoemulsification there is almost complete visual recovery within 24 hours of the procedure
  • refraction might change slightly during the healing process and therefore it is usual to wait for a period of 2-4 weeks before prescribing glasses
  • if the standard extracapsular extraction has been employed (i.e. without phacoemulsification) then it is usual to wait 8-10 weeks before prescribing glasses; also sutures may need to be removed

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