If you’ve been told you have cataracts—or you’ve noticed your vision becoming cloudier, glare-y, or just “off”—you’re not alone. Cataracts affect 24 million Americans age 40 and older, and by age 80, more than half of all Americans will have received the same diagnosis. The good news: cataract surgery at ilumin Eye Care Center in Omaha, Nebraska is one of the most effective and comfortable procedures in all of medicine—and it’s come a long way from what most people imagine.
In a recent KETV Very Local Business Spotlight, ilumin’s own Dr. Brandon Menke, MD sat down to answer the questions Omaha patients ask most about cataract surgery in Omaha. Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is a Cataract?
Dr. Menke describes a cataract in a way that actually makes sense: think of your lens like an M&M sitting in the middle of your eye. When you’re young, that lens is perfectly clear. Over time—typically starting in your 40s and 50s—it begins to yellow, haze, and cloud. That clouding is a cataract.
Symptoms can include blurry or dim vision, difficulty driving at night, increased sensitivity to glare and halos around lights, fading colors, and a growing need for brighter light for reading. At ilumin, board-certified ophthalmologists including Dr. Menke and Dr. Peter Simone, MD, PhD are experienced in diagnosing cataracts at every stage—and helping you decide when the time is right to act.
When Should You Seek Cataract Surgery in Omaha?
Here’s where Dr. Menke challenges a common misconception: you don’t have to wait until your vision is severely impaired to explore cataract surgery. Historically, patients were told to wait until they failed the driver’s license test or couldn’t manage daily life. That’s no longer the standard.
At ilumin, the conversation starts whenever your vision starts bothering you. That might mean:
- Struggling to see up close
- Difficulty with distance vision
- Feeling like you need readers all the time
- Glare or halos while driving at night
- Vision that just doesn’t feel sharp or clear the way it used to
Modern cataract surgery at ilumin goes beyond simply removing the cloudy lens. Refractive cataract surgery pairs the procedure with advanced intraocular lens (IOL) technology—including the Light Adjustable Lens—so your vision correction is tailored to your unique eyes and lifestyle goals. Many patients leave ilumin seeing better than they have in years, even decades.
Is Cataract Surgery Painful?
Short answer: no. Dr. Menke addresses this directly, and it’s one of the most common concerns ilumin hears from prospective patients.
The image many people carry of cataract surgery—IVs, hospital stays, needles near the eye—is outdated. At ilumin, the experience is:
- Topical anesthetic drops (no injections around the eye)
- A relaxation pill (no IV)
- No pain during the procedure—patients may feel mild pressure
- Minor itchiness or a scratchy feeling for a couple of days post-op
ilumin’s concierge-style care team is designed to put patients at ease from the moment they walk through the door. Private patient rooms, a warm and attentive staff, and physicians who are available around the clock after surgery make the entire experience feel very different from the impersonal, clinical settings many patients expect.
What Is the Recovery Like?
This is where ilumin’s approach really stands out: for qualifying patients, both eyes can be treated the same day.
Same-day bilateral cataract surgery means no mismatched vision between procedures, no two separate recovery periods, and significantly less time away from your normal life. Most ilumin cataract patients are able to drive the next day and are back to their routine within a few days.
This approach—which ilumin has championed in the Omaha area—represents a meaningful shift from the traditional model of spacing surgeries two to four weeks apart. For busy professionals, active retirees, or anyone who simply doesn’t want their life on hold, same-day surgery is a significant quality-of-life advantage.
Advanced IOL Options at ilumin
One of the most exciting aspects of modern cataract surgery is the range of intraocular lens options now available. At ilumin, your IOL is chosen based on your specific vision goals and anatomy—not a one-size-fits-all approach. Options include:
- Standard monofocal IOLs for clear distance vision
- Premium multifocal and extended depth-of-focus IOLs to reduce dependence on reading glasses
- Toric IOLs for astigmatism correction
- The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL)—ilumin’s most customizable option, allowing your prescription to be fine-tuned after surgery using UV light treatments
For patients dealing with both cataracts and glaucoma, ilumin also offers the iStent—the world’s smallest FDA-approved ocular implant—which can be placed during cataract surgery to safely reduce intraocular pressure without a separate procedure.
Why Omaha Trusts ilumin for Cataract Surgery
ilumin is Omaha’s premier provider of medical and surgical eye care, led by a team of board-certified ophthalmologists with more than 100 years of combined experience. The practice was the first eye care provider in the region to adopt the newest generation of laser technology for treating eye diseases—and that commitment to staying at the forefront of medicine is evident in every aspect of the cataract surgery experience.
As part of the Modern Vision Group (MVG)—a physician-owned network that also includes Kugler Vision and Modern Vision Solutions in Omaha—ilumin offers patients access to an integrated, comprehensive continuum of eye care. Whether you need a routine eye exam, vision correction, cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment, retinal care, or diabetic eye care, ilumin and the MVG network cover every stage of your visual life.
ilumin is located at 16820 Frances Street, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68130.
Full Video Transcript: Very Local Business Spotlight with Dr. Brandon Menke with Frequently Asked Questions about Cataracts in Omaha
The following is the complete transcript from ilumin’s KETV Very Local Business Spotlight feature.
Host: Ready for another Very Local Business Spotlight. Today, we’re at ilumin Eye Care talking to Dr. Brandon Menke about cataract surgery. Dr. Menke, what is a cataract?
Dr. Menke: A cataract is traditionally thought of as a yellowing or a haziness or opacity in the lens of the eye, which is you can think of this M&M in the middle of the eye that starts clear when we’re young and then gets yellow and hazier and cloudy as we get older. However, you don’t have to wait until the cataracts are that bad to have those lenses changed.
Host: And what is cataract surgery? When should a patient seek out cataract surgery?
Dr. Menke: Cataract surgery traditionally is thought of when that yellow M&M is really bothering you where you can’t drive, you have glare halos, and you fail the driver’s license test. That’s traditionally historically when people think of they need cataract surgery. But you don’t have to wait. So we can take that cloudy or that hardening lens out at any time when your vision starts to bother you, whether it’s when you can’t see up close, your distance vision is difficult, or you feel like you need readers all the time, we can fix that at any point.
Host: And is cataract surgery painful?
Dr. Menke: Not at all. Traditionally, people think of getting an IV, staying in the hospital, things like that. Nowadays, we use drops, so topical drops, so no needles around the eye. We give you a pill to relax, so no IV, and there’s no pain, maybe a little pressure, and maybe some itchiness for a couple days or scratches, but that’s it.
Host: And how long is that recovery process?
Dr. Menke: Nowadays, we do both eyes the same day. They’re typically able to drive the next day. A lot of patients back to normal life within a couple days, if not a week.
Host: All right. Dr. Menke, thank you so much.
Dr. Menke: No problem.
Ready to See What Modern Cataract Surgery Can Do for You?
If your vision is changing and you’re wondering whether cataracts could be the cause, ilumin makes it easy to find out. A comprehensive evaluation with one of our experienced surgeons is the first step toward clearer vision—and a better quality of life.
