About cataract
A cataract is clouding of the eye’s natural lens. Most cataracts are related to age, but they can also follow eye injury, diabetes, long-term steroid use, or be present from birth.
Symptoms
Blurred or dim vision, glare and halos around lights, faded colors and difficulty reading or driving at night. Symptoms usually develop slowly over years.
Diagnosis
An eye examination with a slit lamp confirms a cataract. Before surgery, precise measurements of the eye (biometry) are taken to choose the power and type of the artificial lens.
Treatment in China
- Phacoemulsification through a small incision, with a foldable intraocular lens.
- Femtosecond laser-assisted surgery at selected centers.
- Premium lenses, including toric and multifocal lenses, to reduce dependence on glasses.
- Pediatric cataract surgery in specialized children’s eye services.
Why patients choose China
Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University ranks first nationally in ophthalmology. Its team, led by Liu Yizhi, introduced cataract techniques now used worldwide and published research in Nature on regenerating the lens in infants with congenital cataract.
Treatments available in China
Cataract surgery
Cataract surgery replaces the clouded natural lens with a clear artificial lens. It is quick, usually done as a day procedure, and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center ranks first in China for ophthalmology.
Top hospitals in China for Ophthalmology
Fudan 2023 reputation score · bars are relative to the leader in this specialty.
- 1 Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center Guangzhou 11.1
- 2 Beijing Tongren Hospital Beijing 8.8
- 3 Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai 8.0
- 4 Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine Hangzhou 6.6
- 5 Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University Wenzhou 5.8
- 6 Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Shanghai 4.1
- 7 Peking Union Medical College Hospital Beijing 3.6
- 8 Shanghai General Hospital (Shanghai First People’s Hospital) Shanghai 3.2
- 9 Tianjin Eye Hospital Tianjin 2.3
- 10 Peking University People’s Hospital Beijing 1.5
Nominated hospitals (15)
- Qingdao Eye Hospital, Shandong First Medical UniversityQingdao
- Peking University Third HospitalBeijing
- First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou
- Chinese PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital)Beijing
- West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengdu
- Xiamen Eye Center of Xiamen UniversityXiamen
- Joint Shantou International Eye Center (STU-CUHK)Shantou
- Tianjin Medical University Eye HospitalTianjin
- Sichuan Provincial People’s HospitalChengdu
- First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityChongqing
- Army Medical Center of PLA (Daping Hospital)Chongqing
- Shanxi Eye HospitalTaiyuan
- Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha
- Peking University First HospitalBeijing
- Henan Provincial People’s HospitalZhengzhou
Hospitals to consider
Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital
- Fudan 2023
- #1 Plastic surgery
- #3 Dentistry and oral surgery
Beijing Tongren Hospital
- Fudan 2023
- #2 Allergy
- #2 Ear, nose & throat
Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University
- Fudan 2023
- #1 Ear, nose & throat
- #3 Ophthalmology
Specialists
- Cataract
- Cataract surgery techniques
- Lens regeneration research
Frequently asked questions
How long do I need to stay in China for cataract surgery?
Surgery on one eye usually takes less than half an hour and is done as a day procedure. Plan for a pre-operative assessment and a check the next day; if both eyes are treated, the second is often operated on a few days later.
Which lens implants are available?
Monofocal, toric (for astigmatism) and multifocal or extended-depth-of-focus lenses are available at leading centers. The surgeon recommends a lens based on your eye measurements and visual needs.