THE Queen has undergone an operation on her eye at hospital, it has been revealed.
Her Maj has had eye surgery to remove a cataract, Buckingham Palace confirmed this afternoon.
The 92-year-old monarch underwent the successful procedure in May – and did not even have to stay in hospital.
A source said that the Queen was treated as a day patient at the private King Edward VII’s hospital in London.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “I can confirm that the Queen successfully underwent a short planned procedure to treat a cataract last month.”
Despite the 30-minute operation it was business as usual for the head of state, who did not cancel or postpone any engagements.
In recent weeks, the Queen has been seen wearing sunglasses at a number of events including the Royal Windsor Horse Show and Buckingham Palace garden parties.
Cataracts are when the lens, a small transparent disc inside the eye, develops cloudy patches.
Over time these patches usually become bigger causing blurry, misty vision and eventually blindness, if left untreated.
A family history of cataracts can increase the risk of developing them.
The Queen Mother had an operation to remove a cataract from her left eye in 1995 when she was 95 but, unlike her daughter, she spent a night in King Edward VII’s Hospital after the surgery.
Cataract surgery involves replacing the cloudy lens inside the eye with an artificial one.
It is the most common operation performed in the UK, with a high success rate in improving eyesight.
The straightforward procedure usually takes 30 to 45 minutes.
During the operation, the surgeon will make a tiny cut in the eye to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear plastic one.
It is often carried out as day surgery under local anaesthetic and patients usually go home on the same day.
It can take four to six weeks to recover.
The announcement of the Queen’s surgery comes just days before she celebrates her ceremonial birthday on Saturday with the Trooping the Colour – although it comes several weeks after her actual birthday when she turned 92.