Ophthalmology · Cataract
Is the world losing its colour? We give it back — without selling you anything.
Cataract is treatable as few other eye conditions are. The two questions that genuinely occupy you — does it hurt? And: do I need all of this? — we answer before you sign anything.
How to recognise a cataract
A cataract is the slow clouding of the eye's natural lens — usually age-related, always progressive, and as a rule not dangerously sudden. What is typical is not a dramatic loss of sight but a gradual loss of quality:
- Colours look paler, white turns yellowish — often only noticed by comparison.
- Night driving becomes tiring: headlights dazzle, outlines blur.
- Reading needs more and more light; your glasses seem 'never right any more'.
- A veil that cannot be blinked away.
Many patients come to us because a specific ability is at stake: driving, reading, independence. That is also what we judge the timing of the operation by — your life, not a measurement alone.
When an operation makes sense — and when not yet
Cataract follows no timetable. What decides it is not a single reading but how much your vision restricts your day. There is rarely a reason to hurry, but often a good reason to plan.
In a thorough pre-operative examination we establish, unhurriedly, whether a cataract explains your symptoms — and whether now is the right time. Sometimes our answer is: not yet. We tell you that too. 'I would advise against it' is a complete answer here. For that examination you can book an appointment online for a cataract assessment.
How the procedure works in detail, how long it takes and what the aftercare involves, you can read on the treatment page.
The operation: around twelve minutes, giving back decades
Cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure in medicine — and one of the most successful. The clouded lens is replaced with an artificial lens calculated precisely for you. Here that means, concretely:
- As an outpatient in our own day clinic in Zurich or Wetzikon — category 1.
- As standard, an experienced anaesthetist guides you into light sedation (propofol); the eye is additionally numbed with drops. That is why you come to the operation fasting.
- We talk to you — before, during and after the procedure. You learn what is happening in real time. The unknown is the greater part of the fear; we take it away.
- A follow-up with clear responsibility the next day and after a week — not as anonymous routine.
Choosing the lens: honestly, not as a sale
This is where it is decided whether a clinic advises or sells. Our position is simple: the monofocal lens covered by basic insurance is an excellent lens. It gives sharp vision at one chosen distance; for the other you wear glasses — as most people do anyway. The reason one distance comes out sharp and the other needs glasses lies in the artificial lens itself — it does not accommodate, so it does not refocus from distance to near; why near vision therefore needs a correction of its own is explained on the presbyopia page.
Specialist lenses have their place when they solve a concrete problem:
- Toric lensescompensate for a more pronounced astigmatism — often medically sensible.
- Extended depth-of-focus lenses(EDOF) and Multifocal lenses(multifocal) reduce dependence on glasses — at the cost of possible halos and loss of contrast, particularly at night. For some a good trade, for others not.
What you will never hear from us: that 'paying more' automatically means 'seeing better'. Laser assistance for the standard operation, for instance, does not improve the outcome on current evidence — so we do not recommend it.
Documented quality
We publish our results. With comparative figures.
Every clinic claims experience. We show you the figure it is measured by: the rate of serious intraoperative complications.
1 : 367
PD Dr von Rückmann, over 15'000 operations since 1994, including mature cataracts and pseudoexfoliation — around four times rarer than the registry average.
1 : 91
The EUREQUO registry, 2.85 million European operations.
1 : 56
A British comparative study, 48'377 cases by experienced surgeons.
We do not turn complicated cases away — we operate on them. That the rate is nonetheless this low is not luck but a scientific way of working in theatre: precision without shortcuts.
Costs & health insurance
What does the insurer pay for — and what not?
The most important thing first: standard cataract surgery is not a self-pay service. Be sceptical if anyone implies otherwise.
| Service | Coverage | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
Cataract surgery with a monofocal lens | Basic insurance (OKP) | Fully covered (outpatient flat rate); you pay only the deductible and co-payment. |
Pre-operative examination & follow-ups | Basic insurance (OKP) | Part of the regular treatment — no hidden items. |
Toric lens / extended depth of focus (EDOF) / multifocal lens | Self-pay (surcharge) | Only if it solves your specific problem. A written quotation before you decide. |
Treatment of capsule clouding (laser) | Basic insurance (OKP) | A short procedure in the consulting room, if needed later — how you notice posterior capsule opacification and when treatment is due is set out on its own page. |
Second opinion | Basic insurance (OKP) | A regular consultation — bring your documents. |
Our promise:Before any treatment you receive a complete, itemised cost breakdown in writing — before you decide. Nothing is added to it afterwards.
Detailed patient information: Cataract – PDF.
Related topics
Related conditions
Medically reviewed by PD Dr. med. Andrea von Rückmann
Cataract — what patients ask us
- As a rule, no. The eye is anaesthetised with drops and you feel slight pressure at most. Many patients say the same sentence afterwards: 'That was far more comfortable than I expected.' During the operation we talk to you and tell you what is happening — you are never left alone with the unknown.
- Mostly: no. The standard operation with a high-quality monofocal lens is fully covered by basic insurance and gives excellent results. Specialist lenses solve specific problems — a pronounced astigmatism, a wish to be free of glasses — and have real disadvantages, which we discuss just as openly. Laser assistance during the operation does not improve the outcome on current evidence. If you do not need something, we say so.
- Many see markedly better the day after the operation; the final result settles over some days to weeks. Reading and television are usually possible again immediately, driving once cleared at the medical follow-up.
- As soon as your visual acuity meets the legal requirements again — we check that at the follow-up, often within a few days. That independence is, for most of our patients, the single most important reason for the operation. We take it seriously.
- Cataract does not hurt, but it progresses: contrast fades, glare increases, and in the late stages practical blindness threatens — which surgery generally still reverses. There is rarely a reason to hurry, but a good reason to plan: the earlier the operation, the more straightforward it usually is.
- Before the procedure it is clear who plans and carries out your operation. For cataract surgery by PD Dr von Rückmann, the consent discussion rests on her documented experience of over 15'000 operations and the complication rate of 1 in 367. What matters is this: findings, lens choice, risks and aftercare are not handled as a sales process but as a medical decision.
- Cataract surgery is among the safest procedures in medicine — but no procedure is free of risk. The most relevant intraoperative complication is a tear in the lens capsule with vitreous loss; infections inside the eye are very rare. That is exactly why we publish our rate: 1 complication in 367 operations — around four times rarer than the European registry average. What that means for your case we discuss openly before the procedure. Basis: our own case series, n = 5,823 operations, period 2019–2025, recorded as intraoperative complications with capsular rupture; last audited Q1 2026.
- In some of those operated on, the capsule behind the artificial lens clouds over months to years later — vision becomes hazy again. The treatment is a short, painless laser procedure in the consulting room, covered by basic health insurance. No cause for concern, but worth knowing.
- Yes. Cataract surgery with a standard lens is covered by basic health insurance (since 1 January 2026 the operation is billed as an outpatient flat rate, and follow-ups under the TARDOC physicians' tariff); you pay only the deductible and co-payment. The only things you pay for yourself are specialist lenses and additional services you expressly request — and you receive a written breakdown of those costs before deciding.
A veil in front of your eye? Let us assess it.
A thorough assessment shows whether a cataract explains your symptoms — and whether now is the right time to operate. The decision comes afterwards. From you.
Or call us:+41 44 500 69 00 — Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00 / 13:00–17:30