Cataract surgery in Dallas deserves a surgeon you can name.
If cataracts are dimming your reading, your night driving, or your independence, the building matters far less than whose hands do the work. Dallas patients — and the sons and daughters helping them research — choose Dr. Shehz because he personally performs the evaluation, the surgery, and the follow-up, 25 minutes north in Plano.
When it's your eyes, “a team of surgeons” isn't a comfort.
Look up cataract surgery in Dallas and the results are dominated by groups: multi-location chains with rotating surgeon rosters, and large centers where the person who measures your eye may never meet the person who operates on it. For a routine cataract, that model works often enough. But “often enough” is a strange standard for the only pair of eyes you get.
At Visionary Eye there is exactly one surgeon, and you'll know his name before you know anything else. Dr. Shehzad Batliwala — everyone calls him Dr. Shehz — is double board-certified in vision correction, completed his residency at the Dean McGee Eye Institute, and has performed nearly 7,000 procedures. He takes your measurements, plans your lens with you, performs the surgery, and examines your eyes at every follow-up. If your adult children are helping you compare options, that's the fact worth writing down: the same physician is accountable for every step.
Dallas patients of a certain generation may also know us through Vision Quest. Visionary Eye is the custodian of patient records for Vision Quest, the Dallas practice of Dr. Wesley Herman, who was twice recognized among the nation's top refractive surgeons. The patients he cared for decades ago are largely at cataract age today — and many of them, particularly in and around Preston Hollow, have chosen to continue their eye care with Dr. Shehz. If you or a parent were a Vision Quest patient, one phone call gets you access to those records, whatever you decide to do next.
And if you want a read on the practice's character beyond credentials, start with the 20/Happy Patient Guarantee and our giving-back work — both say more than an advertisement could.
i.
Your surgeon has a name.
No rotating roster, no stranger on surgery day. The physician who plans your lens is the physician holding the instruments — and the one who answers for the result at every follow-up.
ii.
Everything under one roof.
The evaluation, the measurements, the surgery suite, and your aftercare all happen in the same ground-floor Plano building. One team, one chart, no shuttling between facilities.
iii.
Answers in writing.
Insurance benefits verified before scheduling, every cost quoted in writing before you decide, and the 20/Happy Patient Guarantee standing behind eligible procedures.
02/What surgery looks like today
Cataract surgery has changed — quietly and completely.
If your mental picture of cataract surgery comes from a generation ago, the modern version will surprise you. The cloudy lens is removed through a micro-incision using gentle ultrasound, usually with no stitches, and replaced with an artificial lens that never clouds again. Each eye takes about 25 to 30 minutes, and most patients see clearly within 24 hours.
Precision
Measured, not estimated.
Detailed biometry and corneal mapping build a blueprint of your eye before surgery. During surgery, image guidance helps place your new lens exactly where the plan says it belongs — which matters most when astigmatism is being corrected.
Comfort
Calm by design.
Cataract surgery is typically performed with numbing drops rather than general anesthesia — you're awake but relaxed. The visit is short, and it all happens in the practice's own surgery suite — not a hospital campus.
Choice
A lens chosen around your life.
The replacement lens is a decision, not a default. Monofocal (the insurance-covered baseline), toric for astigmatism, extended-depth, multifocal, and light adjustable options each balance distance, near, and night vision differently.
Covered more than you'd guess. Explained better than you're used to.
A cataract is a medical condition, not a cosmetic complaint — so standard cataract surgery is covered by Medicare and most insurance plans when it's medically necessary, including a quality monofocal lens. What typically falls to you are the upgrades: premium lenses that correct astigmatism or reduce your dependence on glasses.
Where practices differ is how they handle that boundary. Ours is simple. We verify your benefits before anything is scheduled, then hand you a single written quote for whatever you choose — nothing gets added in the hallway on surgery day. If there's a portion insurance doesn't cover, 0% APR financing is available for qualified applicants.
Every quote below is a real, public Google review from our 5.0★ profile of 69 reviews. The first is long for a reason — Rex was born with amblyopia in one eye, then developed a cataract in the other, and his account of a complex case is worth reading in full.
”
This is my firsthand experience as a patient of Dr. Shehz with a complex eye condition.
I was born with amblyopia (commonly referred to as a lazy eye) in my left eye and have relied almost entirely on my right eye my entire life. When my right eye began to weaken and cataracts developed, there was no margin for error. Read full review
Rex DeBordGoogle Review
”
Dr Shehz is the best, very talented surgeon. Highly recommend!! No pressure, no pain after my cataract surgery. I was able to see TV right away. I am 20/20!!!
Laquita BeckGoogle Review
”
Appreciate everything. Dr Shehz is the best cataract surgeon in dfw. Hands down!!!
Micheal WilliamsGoogle Review
05/Getting here from Dallas
A 25-minute drive, easy at both ends.
The drive
From most of Dallas it's a single run north on US-75 or the Dallas North Tollway. Once you arrive, everything is on the ground floor, with free patient parking right at the door.
Your first visit is a thorough cataract evaluation with complete measurements — plan on about 90 minutes, and bring a spouse or adult child if you'd like a second set of ears. Surgery is scheduled per eye, and you'll want someone to drive you home that day.
We're here Monday through Friday 8:00–5:00 and Saturday 9:00–3:00, and the front desk speaks both English and Spanish. If a question comes up before you book — yours or your family's — call 214-972-2020 and you'll reach a person, not a phone tree.
06/Dallas cataract FAQ
The questions families ask, answered plainly.
If your question isn't here, call 214-972-2020 — or bring the whole list to your evaluation and ask Dr. Shehz in person.
Does Medicare cover cataract surgery?
Yes. Standard cataract surgery is covered by Medicare and most insurance plans when it's medically necessary, and that includes a quality monofocal lens. Premium lens upgrades — toric, extended-depth, multifocal, or light adjustable — are typically out-of-pocket. We verify your benefits before anything is scheduled and put every cost in writing, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
How do I know it's time for cataract surgery?
When the cataract starts interfering with your life: night driving becomes uncomfortable, reading demands brighter light, colors flatten, glare gets worse. It's rarely an emergency — it's a quality-of-life decision. At your evaluation, Dr. Shehz will show you the cataract itself and tell you honestly how much of your symptoms it explains, and whether waiting is reasonable.
Can both eyes be done on the same day?
Usually we don't recommend it. The standard approach is to separate the two eyes by about one to two weeks, so the first eye can heal and confirm its visual result before the second is finalized. Same-day surgery on both eyes is considered only in select cases — an individualized decision made on safety grounds after your evaluation, never a scheduling shortcut.
What is recovery like?
Gentler than most patients expect. The procedure takes about 25 to 30 minutes per eye through a micro-incision that typically needs no stitches, and most patients see clearly within 24 hours. You'll use prescription drops for a few weeks and take a short break from heavy lifting. Patients who choose a multifocal lens sometimes need a few extra weeks for the brain to adapt to the new optics.
Will I be put to sleep for the surgery?
General anesthesia is not the norm for cataract surgery. The procedure is typically done with numbing drops — you're awake but relaxed, monitored, and home the same day. Because Dr. Shehz operates in the practice's own surgery suite rather than a hospital, the whole visit stays calm and personal.
What if I also have astigmatism?
It can be corrected during the same operation. A toric IOL neutralizes astigmatism, and image-guided alignment positions it precisely on the correct axis. For smaller amounts of astigmatism, a limbal relaxing incision can be added instead. Either way, it's planned before surgery — not discovered as a problem after.
How do I choose the right replacement lens?
You don't have to walk in knowing. The right lens follows from your eyes — cornea, astigmatism, retina, pupil behavior — and from your life: how much you drive at night, read, or work on screens. We'll walk through monofocal, toric, extended-depth, multifocal, and light adjustable options and tell you plainly which ones your eyes actually support, including the insurance-covered monofocal baseline.
I'm in my 50s and was told my cataracts are 'early.' What should I do?
You have more options, not fewer. If early lens changes are already blurring your vision, refractive lens exchange uses the same lens-replacement procedure before the cataract matures — meaning you never develop a full cataract at all. Whether to act now or watch and wait is exactly the conversation an evaluation is for, and Dr. Shehz will tell you if waiting is the smarter move.
Still have questions?
Talk to our team, no pressure, no sales pitch. We answer the question, not the upsell.
Cataracts still early? The same surgery can come sooner — on your terms.
If lens changes are already blurring your vision in your 50s, refractive lens exchange and custom lens replacement use the same lens-replacement procedure before a cataract ever fully forms. Dr. Shehz performs both in the same Plano surgery suite.
The world went dim slowly. Getting it back happens remarkably fast.
One unhurried evaluation tells you where your cataracts stand, what Medicare will cover, and which lens fits the life you want back. About 25 minutes up US-75 from Dallas. Call 214-972-2020 or book online — and bring your questions.
