How to Recover From Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is a detailed procedure to correct cloudy vision that can develop as a person ages or as a result of a disease. The surgery has a high success rate due to rapidly advancing medical technologies, but you'll still need to follow certain guidelines to recover from cataract surgery.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Prescription eye drops
• Pain relief medication or anti-inflammatories
• Sunglasses

Know How to Recover From Cataract Surgery

1. Expect to feel drowsy and possibly disoriented after surgery. The anesthetics and sedatives, coupled with your lack of depth perception due to the patch over the eye that was operated on, can make you feel strange for the first few hours after surgery. You'll need to have a friend come to your cataract surgery to drive you home afterwards.
2. Keep the eye patch on until you return to your eye doctor. The patch is to protect your eye and also to help it rest after surgery. Your doctor will remove the patch during your first follow-up visit, probably 1 to 2 days after surgery.
3. Avoid heavy lifting. This type of activity can put strain on your eye and cause complications for the stitches holding your incision shut. Your doctor will allow you to start lifting heavy objects and performing other strenuous activity after she determines that the incision has healed.
4. Watch out for bright lights. You'll be able to go out as you normally would after the eye patch is removed, but wear a pair of sunglasses. Bright sunlight can irritate your eye and make it difficult to see, but there's also a small chance of it complicating your recovery.
5. Take your medication as directed by your eye doctor. He'll probably want you to use special eye drops to help your eye heal and reduce irritation. You might also be put on a mild pain reliever if your eye is very sore after surgery. You might also be required to take a medicine to prevent swelling around your eye.

Tips & Warnings

• Be aware that it might take you up to 1 month to recover from cataract surgery.
• After you've recovered, you'll go for an eye exam to see if you need corrective lenses.
• Never rub your eye during the first 1 to 2 days after surgery as it can cause problems for your new lens implant.
• Talk to your doctor about your allergies before your surgery. You need to be sure that you aren't allergic to your recovery medication.
• Learn about the complications that can arise from eye surgery and know when to call your doctor.