Resume most of your usual activities – walking, watching TV, reading and going out to dinner are fine. Please wear either glasses or the protective shield at all times. Wear the shield at night for protection. Resume taking your regular medications and prescribed eye drops about 4 hours after your procedure.
While each person heals differently, many patients report drastically better vision within the first 24 hours of the procedure. Plan on taking one to three days off of work to be sure you have enough time to rest, but it is normal to resume most normal activities within a couple of days.
Do not bend over or do any strenuous activities, such as biking, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, for 2 weeks or until your doctor says it is okay. Avoid swimming, hot tubs, gardening, and dusting for 1 to 2 weeks. Wear sunglasses on bright days for at least 1 year after surgery.
You can resume activities like watching TV or shopping after 2-3 days of surgery. You may resume all your routine household activities after a week.
In general, it's safe to do light exercise the first week after cataract surgery. This includes walking and stretching without bending at the waist. By the second week, you can resume moderate-intensity activity. At 4 to 6 weeks, you should be fully healed.
While home, you may be allowed to remove your eye shield, but you should wear it when sleeping for at least a week to prevent eye injury. Full recovery from cataract surgery should be complete in about a month, although it can take up to three months for your eye to be completely healed.
Cataract surgery has a fast recovery rate with only a few restrictions to contend with. With the day of surgery excepted, no bed rest is required. Most patients can return to normal activities the following day.
What Happens if You Bend Over After Cataract Surgery? You should not bend over after cataract surgery for at least 2 weeks. Bending over will place pressure on the eye and this may cause unnecessary complications to your eye. The main complication will be a delay in the healing process.
Exposure to water can put your eyes at risk of infection or irritation until your eye has healed from surgery. “Give yourself at least one night of sleep before showering, and prevent the stream of water from hitting your eyes directly,” says Eghrari.
Washing Your Face and Hygiene after Cataract Surgery
You can resume activities such as washing your face the day after surgery, as long as you are careful to not touch the eye. You shouldn't splash water directly on your face and instead, use a washcloth to carefully clean.
Use boiled water and cool it (distilled water) to clean the operated eye. Dip a cotton ball or gauze piece in this water and gently clean the eye margins and eyelid. Swipe the cotton across from the inner corner (near the nose) to the outer corner of the operated eye. Look up and gently wipe off any sticky discharges.
What Are the Symptoms of a Dislocated Lens? The most common symptom of a dislocated intraocular lens implant is sudden, painless blurring of vision in one eye. The vision tends to be very blurry, but not blacked-out. Sometimes, the lens implant can be seen resting on the surface of the retina when laying on the back.
Yes, after cataract surgery, you need to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun. After surgery, your eyes are healing and are more sensitive to the sun's rays than usual.
The procedure itself usually lasts less than 15 minutes and is virtually painless. Typically, patients are awake during cataract surgery.
Everything can look more faded to you when you have cataracts than it does for people without them. After having cataract surgery, many patients notice that colors are brighter. That's because they are viewing the world through clear lenses rather than their own brownish, yellowish lenses.
During cataract surgery
You'll be awake during surgery, but you won't be able to see what's happening in your eye. Our ophthalmologists at Beverly Hills Institute of Ophthalmology perform cataract surgery using a state-of-the-art femtosecond laser.
House work after cataract surgery
In fact, doing light housework is totally okay however, your doctor may advise to refrain from heavy lifting and bending over for up to a week after surgery. You should put aside any intense physical activities up until you have fully recovered.
You may drink clear water up to 3 hours before you are due to arrive at the Eye Surgery Center. You may brush your teeth in the morning before surgery. You may wear your hearing aid or dentures. Bathe or shower the morning of surgery to minimize the chance of infection.
Patients may brush their teeth, but use as little water as possible. Do not wear any make-up or perfume on the day of surgery. Contact lenses should be removed.
On the day after you have cataract surgery, your vision may be blurry or uneven. This is normal as your vision needs time to adjust and heal. Most cataract surgeons will ask you to come in for your first follow-up appointment the day after cataract surgery. It's extremely important that you attend this appointment.
In the first day or two after cataract surgery
You may notice haloes or a circle around light, particularly after multifocal lens implants; this will settle. You should not feel severe pain after cataract surgery but your eye will feel gritty or scratchy, like a grain of sand irritating the eye.
Most patients are able to resume driving 24 hours after cataract surgery.
Here are some things that you may want to avoid before and after cataract surgery to ensure that you heal properly. Avoiding eating and drinking before your surgery. Don't wear makeup to the surgery appointment, and avoid wearing makeup until your ophthalmologist allows it so that you can better prevent infection.
You will not be asked to undress prior to your surgery. Please wear clean loose fitting clothing such as a blouse or shirt that can be opened down the front.