You can discard your eye shield the morning after your cataract surgery, but it's still advisable to sleep on your back for a couple of weeks so your eye doesn't come into contact with your pillow and pick up any particles from it. This will help your eye to heal and reduce the risk of infection.
Sleeping After Cataract Surgery
You will need to be careful not to sleep on the side with the recovering eye in addition to wearing your eye shield. This will reduce the risk of irritation and infection in the eye and help speed up your recovery process.
Go with it. Sleeping a lot is how your body heals itself. Plenty of rest in the days following your procedure will speed up your recovery time.
After your cataract surgery procedure has been performed, you will need to wear a protective eye shield whenever you sleep, whether it's during the recommended eight hours per night or for an afternoon nap. Most eye care professionals agree that seven days is the required time frame for wearing an eye shield.
“High eye pressure can interfere with the incision before it fully heals,” says Eghrari. “Positions that put your head below your waist, such as bending over, can also increase eye pressure and should be avoided initially after surgery.”
Patients with a dislocated IOL may experience a decrease or change in vision, diplopia, and/or glare. Additionally, they may report ocular pain or headaches from intermittent angle-closure and/or inflammation. Some patients also report seeing the edge of the IOL.
Generally speaking, many people will feel that their vision has fully stabilised and their eye is back to normal (albeit with much clearer vision), about 4 to 6 weeks after their cataract surgery procedure. However, for some people, complete cataract surgery recovery can take up to 3 months.
Fatigue is normal following surgery and should improve day after day as your body begins to heal itself. Some people have it worse than others due to age, health, and the type of surgery they had, but with time and proper care, most will be able to build up their strength and energy levels.
Your body is using energy to heal itself, so you may feel more tired than normal - this is perfectly normal. Most patients however are very happy with the improvement in their vision.
How long before you can sleep on your side after cataract surgery? People should try to avoid sleeping on the same side of the operated eye for 1 week. However, if they wear a protective shield securely overnight, their eye should have enough protection, even if they unintentionally end up sleeping on that side.
Don't bend over immediately after your cataract surgery.
However, I do say that patients can safely bend over after the first day as the pressure transmitted to the eye is minimal.
Side-sleeping is discouraged during the first week after surgery. That can lead to swelling on the side you sleep on compared to the other side. After one week, you are free to sleep on your side or your back. We recommend waiting until about four weeks to try sleeping on your stomach.
Cataract surgery and sunglasses
Either way, the surgery has still left your retina vulnerable, and even if you have an IOL with that UV coating, you're still at risk to eye damage due to UV rays. You could even cause your cataracts to return as UV rays are one of the leading causes of cataracts.
After cataract surgery, your eyes are more susceptible to infection and complications. Swimming is a bad idea because water is a place where bacteria can grow. Since your eyes aren't at their best, you're more likely to get an infection from the water.
Many people complain that they feel like there is sand in the eye or that the eye feels scratchy after surgery. This is a normal sensation caused by the small incision in your eye, and it should heal within a week or so. If you have dry eye, the discomfort may last longer—up to three months.
Do not get your hair coloured or permed for 10 days after surgery. 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.
Protective glasses are prescribed after cataract surgery. But for the purpose of reading, you can use your old glasses for up to 3 weeks until the refractive power of the operated eye stabilises, after which your doctor will prescribe new glasses.
Your lens is held in place by delicate fibers called zonules. If you've had an eye lens replacement for cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange, your intraocular lens implant (IOL) is held in place by a small sac and these thin fibers.
Your eye may look pinkish after cataract surgery and there may even be some bright red localised bruising. This is more likely if you are taking asprin or warfarin. This is normal. Your eye may feel a little bit achy for a few days.
You won't be able to see or feel the lens. It requires no care and becomes a permanent part of your eye. A variety of IOL s with different features are available. Before surgery, you and your eye doctor will discuss which type of IOL might work best for you and your lifestyle.
Monofocal lenses (standard lenses covered by insurance) placed after cataract surgery allow patients to have cataract free vision, but some patients, especially those with astigmatism, will require glasses to see well in the distance and will definitely require glasses for reading.
If you're comfortable wearing glasses after cataract surgery, a monofocal lens may be the right choice. If you want to avoid wearing distance glasses after cataract surgery and have astigmatism, a toric lens might be appropriate.
Basically, the amount of light that enters the eye progressively gets reduced due to increasing opaqueness of the lens. Our brain and eye adapt to that to a certain extent. Due to this adaptation many people after cataract surgery notice increased brightness around them and in some cases it may be uncomfortable.
During sleep, the body releases prolactin to regulate and reduce inflammation before it can become harmful. Healing and recovery can be more efficient if prolactin is produced by getting proper sleep. Surgery, illness or injuries are stressful events.