Cataract surgery in older patients is usually a family decision. Children and grandchildren are often the first to notice that a parent has stopped reading, struggles with faces across a room or hesitates on the stairs. This guide explains each step, so that you can support your parent through diagnosis, surgery and recovery.
Signs your parent may need a cataract check
Older parents often don’t mention vision problems, or put them down to age. Watch for:
- Holding the newspaper or phone further away, or avoiding reading
- Complaints of glare from headlights or bright sunlight
- Difficulty recognising faces across a room
- New hesitation on stairs or in dim light
- Frequent requests to change spectacles that don’t seem to help
If you notice these, a detailed eye examination will tell you whether the cause is cataract and whether surgery is needed now or can wait.
Before the consultation: what to bring
- Current spectacles
- Previous eye reports and prescriptions
- A list of all medicines (especially blood thinners and diabetes medicines)
- Recent blood sugar and blood pressure readings, if available
Plan for about an hour, and accompany your parent: the pupils are usually dilated, so vision will be blurred for a few hours.
Questions worth asking the doctor
- Is surgery needed now, or can it wait?
- Which lens do you recommend for my parent, and why?
- Will my parent still need glasses after surgery?
- Who will perform the surgery?
- What is the total cost per eye, and what does it include?
- How many follow-up visits are needed?
Choosing the lens together
The lens decides how your parent will see for the rest of their life. A parent who loves reading may be happy with a standard lens and reading glasses; one who still drives or uses a computer may benefit from an advanced lens. Involve your parent in the choice, as it’s about their daily life. See the lens options and package prices on our cataract surgery page.
On the day of surgery
- Plan for 3–4 hours at the clinic
- Your parent can eat a light meal and take regular medicines unless told otherwise
- The surgery itself takes about 15–20 minutes per eye, with numbing drops
- Most patients go home the same day
- No eye patch or bandage is needed for most patients
What to expect in the first few days
Some symptoms are common after cataract surgery and are part of normal healing:
- Mild discomfort or a gritty, foreign-body sensation
- A feeling of heaviness in the eye
- Watering
- Slight redness
- Mildly blurred vision or glare from lights
These usually settle within a few days and continue to improve over the following weeks.
Please contact us promptly if you notice increasing pain, increasing redness, a sudden drop in vision, or discharge from the eye.
Caring for your parent at home
- Help with eye drops, as many older patients find it difficult to instil drops themselves. Use the prescribed drops for about 6 weeks.
- Keep water, dust and rubbing away from the eye for 2 weeks
- Keep floors clear and lighting good while vision settles
- Don’t miss follow-up visits over the 4–6 weeks after surgery
Watch: Post-cataract surgery care tips · Dos and Don’ts after cataract surgery (Hindi)
If your parent lives outside Mumbai
Many families bring parents to us from other cities. WhatsApp us their reports before you travel, and we’ll plan tests and surgery dates in advance. If required, both eyes can be operated on the same day, so your parent travels only once.
Common questions from families
My parent has diabetes and high blood pressure. Can they still have cataract surgery? Yes, in most cases, once blood sugar and blood pressure are well controlled. Please bring recent reports to the consultation, and continue regular medicines unless the doctor advises otherwise.
Does someone need to stay with my parent after surgery? It is helpful for a family member to accompany your parent on the day of surgery and to help with eye drops for the first week, particularly if they live alone or find drops difficult.
Can my parent travel home to another city after surgery? Travel is usually possible after the first follow-up check. We will advise on the right timing and plan the remaining follow-ups so that unnecessary trips are avoided.
When is the best time to plan the surgery? Once surgery is advised, it is best not to delay it for long, as reduced vision increases the risk of falls in older adults. Many families plan the dates around a time when a family member can be present for the first week.
Plan your parent’s cataract consultation
Dr. Devanshi Shah (MS, DNB, FRCS Glasgow) sees your parent at consultation, performs the surgery and handles every follow-up at Deevine Eye Care, Ghatkopar East. Patients and families are welcome in English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati.
Deevine Eye Care & Multispeciality Centre, Ghatkopar East, Mumbai · Monday to Saturday, 10 am – 8:30 pm