10/15/2026
A lot of what people expect from cataract surgery comes from stories about how it was done a generation ago.
Dr. Brandon Menke is a fellowship-trained cataract surgeon at ilumin Eye Care Center in Omaha and has performed more than 15,000 procedures. These are five things people often get wrong about cataracts and cataract surgery:
1) Waiting for a cataract to “ripen.” Surgery is usually considered once a cataract starts getting in the way of everyday things like night driving or reading.
2) Thinking a cataract is a film over the eye. A cataract is clouding of the natural lens inside the eye.
3) Worrying that a cataract can grow back. The clouded lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens, so the cataract can’t return. Some patients may later develop haze behind the new lens, and it’s treated with a brief in-office laser procedure.
4) Expecting a long recovery. Most ilumin patients follow an eye drop schedule for about four weeks, and most are cleared to drive at their first follow-up visit.
5) Assuming your eyes have to be treated weeks apart. ilumin Eye Care Center in Omaha offers same-day bilateral cataract surgery, which treats both eyes in one visit, allowing you to get back to life safely, sooner.
Call 402-933-6600 or visit ilumineyes.com to schedule a cataract evaluation in Omaha.
