I had cataract surgery in France

During a routine ophthalmology check-up in April 2023, I was told I had the beginnings of a cataract, although I had not noticed any problems. 

The ophthalmologist recommended that I come back six months later, and I remember cancelling that appointment as there were still no symptoms and I did not really want to go!

After those six months, however, I started to notice that my eyesight was not as clear as it had been. Sometimes it felt as if something was blurring my vision and I had to blink several times to clear it.

On other days it would not quite go away. 

I tried covering one eye at a time and realised that looking with just my right eye was like seeing through mist. At that point, my daughter insisted on making another appointment. 

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Ophthalmologist appointment

In April 2024, a year after that first visit, I returned to the ophthalmologist who confirmed that the vision in my right eye had dropped from a six to a one and I definitely needed a cataract operation. 

I certainly had no idea it had deteriorated that much. The following month I went again, and I had to use drops to dilate my eyes beforehand, and make sure someone was available to drive me home.

The operation was scheduled for October, a six-month wait, but we asked to go on a list for any cancellations, and they called to offer a date in August.

My eyesight definitely worsened in the meantime. Pottering at home was okay, but I was wary of driving - they had not advised me to give it up, but I did not feel comfortable going very far. 

About three weeks before my operation, I went to the clinic to do the pre-admission paperwork and see the anaesthetist, which was all straightforward. 

Preparing for cataract surgery 

On the day my daughter took me to the Polyclinic Kerlic in Quimper for 10:00. 

We dealt with the usual paperwork and they put a hospital band on my wrist, checked my blood pressure and gave me dilating eye drops. 

As I am slightly diabetic, they checked my blood sugar; it was a little high so they gave me an insulin injection – which I’ve never had before – but there were no side effects.

Really, I had expected to walk in and have the procedure in a chair like an eye test, but I had to change into a disposable hospital gown and slippers, and wear a hairnet and face mask. Then my daughter left and I went into a sterile waiting area for an hour.

Someone checked again which eye was being operated on, checked my details, then took me to another room where I lay on a low table with a hole that cradled my head. 

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The anaesthetist attached an IV to my arm, and the bed was wheeled into the operating room. They fixed my head to the table, covered my good eye, then they squirted liquid into my right eye. That carried on throughout the procedure although I could not blink, so my eye must have been fixed open. 

All I could see was a bright light, which changed colours from pink to blue, and in the centre were two small squares, black with blue. 

There was no pain at all, just the sensation of liquid going into my eye, and the colourful lights. 

After about 15 minutes, they wheeled me back to the first room, put a clear plastic cover over my eye and secured it with surgical tape. 

Then I walked back into the changing area where my daughter was waiting, got dressed, and was taken for a drink and a snack. 

After that, because someone was driving me home, I was free to leave, just three hours after we had arrived.

Post-procedure

Following the operation I had no pain and slept well. 

The morning after, when I removed the eye patch, I thought maybe it had not worked because my eyesight did not seem much better. However, it gradually improved so that by midday my vision was nearly the same in both eyes, which was incredible. 

I had been prescribed a cream to put in my eye for 10 days, and eye drops four times a day for 30 days. 

Three days after the procedure I went in for a check-up, and one month later I had another appointment to check my vision. 

To anyone who thinks their eyesight is getting blurry, I would definitely recommend getting it checked. No one likes having operations, but the only worry was not knowing what to expect. 

There was no pain and it was really straightforward – with pretty lights!

What is a cataract?

Normally, the lens in your eye - which is like a small transparent disc - is clear and unobscured. However, if this lens becomes cloudy or patchy, your vision becomes blurred and your eyesight deteriorates. It can even lead to blindness if left untreated. 

Is cataract surgery common?

In France alone, 600,000 people go through a cataract procedure every year, making it the leading cause of surgery in this country. The procedure involves removing the damaged, cloudy lens and replacing it with a new, artificial lens.

Most patients have both eyes treated on the same day and according to Drees - the Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics - 92% of cataract surgeries are same-day procedures (ambulatoire).

What are the costs?

If you are in the French health system and your GP or ophthalmologist has prescribed a cataract operation, it is 100% covered by Social Security at agreed rates. Some clinics may charge more than the agreed conventionnés rates, in which case your private health insurance should refund the additional costs.

Does it only affect older people?

Age is certainly the main factor: one in five people aged 65 or over will be affected by cataracts, and this shoots up to one in three people aged 85 or over. However, some cataracts develop after a traumatic injury, such as a blow to the head, and in rare cases they occur in children or newborns.