Choosing the right cataract surgeon is one of the most important health decisions you will make. Cataract surgery is elective, which means you have time to choose carefully — and the right questions to ask can make a meaningful difference to your outcome, your experience, and your long-term satisfaction with the result.
What Credentials Should a Cataract Surgeon Have?
The minimum standard for a specialist ophthalmologist in Australia is Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (FRANZCO). This requires completion of a medical degree, general medical training, and a further five or more years of specialist ophthalmology training, culminating in comprehensive written and clinical fellowship examinations. FRANZCO is the credential that establishes a doctor as a qualified specialist ophthalmologist.
Beyond FRANZCO, some ophthalmologists have undertaken additional subspecialty fellowship training in cataract and refractive surgery. This additional training — typically one to two years at a high-volume specialist centre, in Australia or overseas — provides focused experience in complex cataract cases, premium lens selection and implantation, and refractive surgery techniques. If you are considering premium lens options or have a more complex case (small pupil, dense cataract, prior refractive surgery, glaucoma, or other co-morbidities), subspecialty fellowship training is a meaningful differentiator.
What Should You Ask About Their Practice?
Does your surgeon perform their own pre-operative biometry? The pre-operative measurements used to calculate lens power are critical. Some practices delegate biometry to a technician and the surgeon reviews the printout. Others perform or carefully supervise the process themselves. When the surgeon is directly involved in measurement planning, the precision of the lens calculation is typically higher.
How many cataract procedures does your surgeon perform per year? Volume matters. High-volume surgeons develop and maintain proficiency that directly translates to shorter operating times, smoother phacoemulsification technique, and better management of unexpected intraoperative findings. While there is no publicly mandated reporting threshold in Australia, a surgeon performing hundreds of cases per year is generally more proficient than one who does the procedure occasionally.
What is their approach to complications? Even in the hands of excellent surgeons, complications can occur. Ask your surgeon about their complication rate for posterior capsule rupture — the most common intraoperative complication — and how they manage it. A surgeon who is transparent about this, has appropriate experience managing complications, and has access to vitreoretinal surgical support when needed, is more trustworthy than one who dismisses the question.
What Lens Options Should They Offer?
A comprehensive cataract practice should offer the full range of intraocular lens options: standard monofocal, toric, multifocal, and extended depth of focus (EDOF) lenses. Practices that offer only standard lenses may not have the experience or equipment to safely and effectively implant premium lenses. Practices that strongly push premium lenses on all patients without a careful assessment of suitability are equally concerning.
The right surgeon will present all options, explain the trade-offs honestly, and make a recommendation based on your individual eye health, measurements, and lifestyle priorities — not on the margin of the lens. You should feel that the lens recommendation is tailored specifically to you.
What About Continuity of Care?
Your surgeon should be present at your pre-operative assessment, perform the surgery themselves, and be available for your post-operative follow-up. Practices in which patients are assessed by one doctor, operated on by another, and followed up by a third offer a fragmented care experience that may result in important nuances being missed. Continuity of care is particularly important if any complication or unexpected finding arises.
A Note on Choosing for Northpark Hospital, Bundoora
Northpark Private Hospital in Bundoora is a leading ophthalmology facility in Melbourne's northern suburbs. The surgical team at Northern Eye Consultants — led by Dr Ross MacIntyre and Dr Xavier Fagan — perform their cataract surgery at Northpark and offer comprehensive pre-operative assessment, surgery, and post-operative care at our Bundoora consulting rooms. All surgeons hold FRANZCO fellowship, and Dr MacIntyre holds additional subspecialty fellowship training in cataract, corneal, and refractive surgery from the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
To arrange a cataract surgery consultation, ask your GP or optometrist for a referral, or contact our rooms on 03 9466 8822.