The most common surgical technique used is known as phacoemulsification.
Before the operation, a nurse will put drops in your eye to widen (dilate) your pupil.
You’ll also be given a local anaesthetic, which can be applied as eye drops or given as an injection into the tissue around your eye.
The surgeon will make a tiny cut in your cornea, the transparent layer of tissue at the front of your eye.
A small probe that emits ultrasound waves is inserted through your cornea into the eye to break the affected lens into pieces. The pieces are then liquified and sucked out. A second probe sucks out the remaining soft pieces of outer lens.
After the affected lens has been removed, the surgeon will insert a small plastic lens in its place.
The replacement lens is usually curled up in an injector and injected through the cut in the cornea. When it’s in place, it unfolds itself and adopts the natural position of the old lens.
In a few cases, it may be necessary to make a slightly larger incision in the eye to replace the affected lens, which may need to be closed with tiny stitches that are removed a few weeks later.