“Most people can read and watch television almost immediately — and return to normal life within a few days.”
The day of surgery and the first 24 hours
Arrange for someone to take you home. You normally won’t have a cover on your eye, though a pad may be advised if it feels uncomfortable. Sensation returns within a few hours, and vision takes a few days to recover. Continue your usual medicines for any systemic conditions, and arrange for someone to help with eye drops until your vision returns — particularly if your other eye is weak.
For the first 24 hours, please:
- Do not rub or touch your eyes with fingers or cloth.
- Do not cover your eye with a cloth or handkerchief, splash water in your eyes, or wash your face or hair.
- Do not shave.
- You can watch television, sleep on your side with a pillow, and face room light or sunshine.
Some side effects are completely normal and settle within six to eight weeks: mild pain or discomfort, an itchy or sticky eye, blurred vision, grittiness, redness, a slight headache, bruising around the eye, mild watering, irritation, glare and slight drooping of the upper lid. A painkiller such as paracetamol can help. You’ll be given an emergency number for any questions.
When to seek medical advice
Contact the hospital as soon as possible if you notice severe or increasing pain, worsening or loss of vision, increasing redness, or the sudden appearance of floaters or flashes of light in the treated eye — these may signal a complication.
Returning to everyday life
- Activities: after your next-day review the doctor will permit you to resume activities. Always wash your hands with medicated soap before touching your eye, keep soap and shampoo out of the eye, and avoid eye make-up for eight weeks.
- Television & reading: almost immediately — vision may be blurry until your eye adjusts to its new lens or you get new glasses.
- Physical activity: you can bend, carry shopping, wash and cook, and resume yoga and pranayama from the first week. Avoid swimming and contact sports for six to eight weeks.
- Work: most people return after a few days; a few weeks off may be needed if your job exposes your eyes to liquid or dust.
- Driving: resume once you can read a number plate 20 metres away with both eyes open — often after a few weeks if you need new glasses — and only when confident doing an emergency stop.
- Glasses: your old prescription will likely change. It’s harmless to use old glasses or none; ready-made reading glasses can help temporarily. A review of studies found 95% of people with a monofocal lens and about 70% with a multifocal lens needed glasses after cataract surgery.
- Diet: no restrictions beyond those for any pre-existing conditions.
- Travel: you can travel from the first week, including air travel — keep the eye well lubricated with artificial tears in flight.
How to instill eye drops
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water, and dry them.
- Lie down or use a mirror; it helps to have someone check the drop goes in.
- Look up at the ceiling with both eyes.
- Tilt your head back and pull the lower lid down with one hand; steady the bottle with the other, resting on your forehead if needed.
- Place one drop inside the lower lid — the tip should not touch your eye.
- Hold the lid for a minute, blink, and dab away excess with a tissue.
- Keep the eye closed for a few minutes.
- If using more than one drop, wait about five minutes between them.
- Wash your hands again afterwards.