In the past, most cataract surgery patients remained in the hospital following the operation. But with improvements in techniques and equipment, doctors can perform most cataract procedures as ambulatory surgery, and the patient can return home the same day. Today, more than 95 percent of cataract surgeries are successful. It is one of the safest forms of surgery. Just before the operation begins, patients receive eye drops.
Most patients also receive a sedative and an an injection of local anesthetic.
Sometimes, the ophthalmologist recommends general anesthesia to put the patient to sleep. Although using local anesthetic is far more common, both approaches are acceptable. During surgery, the surgeon makes a small incision on the surface of the eye. This incision becomes a passageway through which the surgeon removes the lens. Occasionally, the surgeon removes the lens capsule along with the lens.