Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure that only takes a few hours. When you arrive, your eyes may be treated with eye drops and anesthetic to minimize any discomfort during the operation. During this routine operation, a small incision is made in the eye and a tiny instrument, about the size of a pen tip, is used to remove your clouded lens. If you have cataracts on both eyes, you will have surgery on the second eye within two weeks of the first eye.