A cataract needs treating when it interferes with something you want to do — reading, driving at night, recognising faces, working. There is no need to wait until it is "ripe"; that advice belongs to a much older era of surgery.

Equally, there is no obligation to treat a cataract that is not bothering you. Monitoring is a legitimate choice.

Most people are back to driving within a few days to a week, once vision in the treated eye meets the DVLA standard and they feel confident. Ms Jiang will confirm at your follow-up appointment.

You must not drive yourself home on the day of surgery, and you will need someone to collect you.

Most people are seeing usefully within a day or two and back to ordinary activities within a week.

• Same day — go home a couple of hours after the procedure; vision is often blurry
• Next day — a follow-up check, and most people are reading comfortably
• First week — avoid swimming, dusty environments and eye rubbing
• Four to six weeks — vision has fully settled and any glasses prescription is finalised

Everyone heals at their own pace, and these are typical timescales rather than a promise.

Yes. You will be given anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drops to use for a few weeks after surgery, with written instructions and a schedule. Using them as directed matters — most avoidable problems after lens surgery come from drops being stopped early.

Lens surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations in the UK and serious complications are rare, but it is still surgery and it is not risk-free.

Risks include infection, inflammation, swelling at the back of the eye, retinal detachment, and the possibility that the refractive result is not exactly as planned and needs further correction. Some patients notice glare or haloes around lights at night, particularly with multifocal lenses.

Ms Jiang will go through the risks that are relevant to your eyes specifically, with figures, and give you written information to take away before you decide anything.

A cataract needs treating when it interferes with something you want to do — reading, driving at night, recognising faces, working. There is no need to wait until it is "ripe"; that advice belongs to a much older era of surgery.

Equally, there is no obligation to treat a cataract that is not bothering you. Monitoring is a legitimate choice.

Most people are back to driving within a few days to a week, once vision in the treated eye meets the DVLA standard and they feel confident. Ms Jiang will confirm at your follow-up appointment.

You must not drive yourself home on the day of surgery, and you will need someone to collect you.

Most people are seeing usefully within a day or two and back to ordinary activities within a week.

• Same day — go home a couple of hours after the procedure; vision is often blurry
• Next day — a follow-up check, and most people are reading comfortably
• First week — avoid swimming, dusty environments and eye rubbing
• Four to six weeks — vision has fully settled and any glasses prescription is finalised

Everyone heals at their own pace, and these are typical timescales rather than a promise.

Yes. You will be given anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drops to use for a few weeks after surgery, with written instructions and a schedule. Using them as directed matters — most avoidable problems after lens surgery come from drops being stopped early.

Lens surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations in the UK and serious complications are rare, but it is still surgery and it is not risk-free.

Risks include infection, inflammation, swelling at the back of the eye, retinal detachment, and the possibility that the refractive result is not exactly as planned and needs further correction. Some patients notice glare or haloes around lights at night, particularly with multifocal lenses.

Ms Jiang will go through the risks that are relevant to your eyes specifically, with figures, and give you written information to take away before you decide anything.