While under sedation, there is a chance of stomach acid going into your lungs, which can cause damage. You will need to fast for about 12 hours before surgery to ensure you are safe from this effect.
No solid food for 6 hours prior to your surgery. No thick liquids after midnight (Milk, cream, orange juice, prune juice.) Up to 2 hours before surgery, we encourage you to drink clear liquids (coffee, tea, apple juice, water, soft drinks or meat broth.) Sugar in your coffee and tea is okay, but no milk products.
Eating and drinking before surgery
If your operation is done using a local anaesthetic, you can eat and drink as normal before and after surgery. If you are having a general anaesthetic, you cannot eat or drink anything (except water) for 6 hours before surgery.
Avoid wearing any makeup, perfume or cologne, aftershave, spray-on deodorant, or hairspray to the surgical center. Thoroughly remove any traces of these, especially from around your eyes, the night before your procedure.
Alcohol may also interfere with any eye drops or medications that we give you during the procedure. If you feel nauseous, overly tired or off-balance as a result of drinking alcohol from the night before, this is also not ideal as it will make the experience more uncomfortable than it needs to be.
Your provider will probably also recommend that you not eat or drink anything after midnight or the morning before the procedure. Do not even drink coffee, tea, or water. If you regularly take prescription medicines, your provider may ask you to take them on the day of surgery with a sip of water.
Please refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages for up to 24 hours prior to the procedure. Wear clean and comfortable clothes on the day of surgery, shower and wash your hair, and do not wear any makeup.
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 drink anything except for clear water after midnight the night before surgery. If you do not fast, we will need to cancel your surgery. Take your daily medications as usual on the morning of surgery with small sips of water. If you are diabetic, do not take any oral diabetic medication the morning of surgery.
We will give you a light sedative so you can relax during the surgery. Then, we apply a local numbing agent to the eye so that you don't feel anything and are less inclined to blink. We will then fit a special device that prevents your eyelids from moving while we apply the laser.
You can eat a light breakfast up to 4 hours before cataract surgery. We suggest that patients avoid caffeine and dairy products on the day of the surgery so that they don't have to go to the bathroom frequently. Keep taking your usual medications, including blood thinners unless we specifically tell you not to.
Various drapes will be placed over your face and shoulders to keep the operation area clean. You can still breathe normally. You will need to keep still and not talk during the 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.
BATHING A bath or shower should be taken with antibacterial soap the evening before or the morning of surgery. You should wash your hair. No facial makeup should be worn the day of surgery. Body lotions and creams should be avoided as well.
After cataract surgery, you should wait at least 24 hrs before you can bathe and shower. After this you can shower and bathe as normal. When bathing and showering it is important that your eyes are closed, you do not rub your eyes and that you are very careful to not get any shampoo or soap into your eye. .
Wash your hair before you have surgery. That way, you'll be able to go a good few days without worrying that your hair is becoming unclean. Use a bowl of water and a flannel or sponge to keep clean.
Yes — almost always, cataract surgery will improve your night vision for driving, walking and any other activities in low light. One of the first symptoms of cataracts is a loss of contrast sensitivity, which is most apparent in dim lighting.
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.
Strenuous activity and exercise after cataract surgery
Most people can do very light exercise the day after surgery, including walking. For activities like biking, running, tennis, golf and sex, wait one week after your procedure.
You can read or watch TV right away, but things may look blurry. Most people are able to return to work or their normal routine in 1 to 3 days. After your eye heals, you may still need to wear glasses, especially for reading.
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.
After cataract surgery, a person should focus on eating a nutritious diet that promotes healing. Foods to avoid include refined carbohydrates, sugar, salt, and processed foods. People should also avoid tobacco and alcohol, which can slow healing and increase inflammation.
Water is one of the best things you can put into your body, especially while it's healing. After cataract surgery, your eyes may need a few days to get used to their new normal. They may even feel a little drier than you're used to. This is another way that drinking enough water is incredibly beneficial!
Many eye surgeons advise patients to avoid alcohol for the first week after eye surgery to ensure the eyes can maintain adequate lubrication.