Post Cataract Surgery
When you return to the ward after your surgery you will be offered a drink and something to eat. After an hour a nurse will examine your eye to check everything is satisfactory before you go home. They will explain how to use your eye drops. We recommend that someone takes you home from the hospital but it is not necessary for a friend or relative to stay with you overnight.
You will usually go home with a plastic shield covering your operated eye. You should be comfortable but a gritty sensation from the eye is common. You do not need to start any eye drops until the next day. If you develop a headache take some paracetamol.
The next day you can take the shield off. Normally you will be immediately aware of how much more clearly you can see and you may be somewhat dazzled by how bright everything seems. For the majority of patients the improvement in their vision is quite remarkable.
Sometimes it takes a little longer for the vision to improve. If your cornea has become swollen your vision can be a little misty initially. Crucially any such mistiness should improve during the day.
Your eye may feel gritty, you may have some eye ache, you may have some headache and your vision may not always be immediately perfect but these symptoms should all rapidly improve. No symptoms should deteriorate.
When you look in the mirror your eye may be red and you can sometimes have bruising around the eye depending on the anaesthetic technique used. So long as you are comfortable and your vision is good it does not matter at all if your eye is red. The redness will fade away over the next few days.
Contact your surgeon urgently if you notice:
Increased pain
Rapid loss of vision
Increased redness or discharge
Flashes of light, floaters or a curtain across your vision.
We recommend that you wear your shield at night for the first week.
You should start using your post op drops from day 1. A typical treatment regime is 4 times a day for the first week, 3 times a day for the second week, 2 times a day for the third week and then just once a day for the last week. I like my patients to use more drops for the first day and recommend putting a drop in every hour for the first day only, and then changing to 4 times a day from the second day onwards.
After 4 weeks you can go to see your optician or the hospital optometrist to have your eyes and your need for spectacles measured.
FAQ:
Can I shower and bath?
You can most certainly shower and bath, but be careful not to rub or press on your eye, and do not go underwater in the bath.
Can I swim?
Not for 2 weeks, and ideally do not go underwater for a full month.
Can I exercise?
Yes, but try to avoid strenuous activity such as heavy lifting. You can bend down however, for example to tie shoe laces.
Can I drive?
The legal limits for driving are the ability to read a number plate at 25 yards, with good health and an unimpaired visual field. As soon as you reach these limits you can drive. For some patients this may be day 1, but for others it may not be until you pick up your new glasses at 4 weeks.
Do I need time off work?
Under most circumstances you would be able to return to work almost immediately, but it would be safe to book a week off in case it took your vision longer to recover.
Can I wear my old glasses?
Under most circumstances your old glasses will now have the wrong prescription for the operated eye, but still the correct prescription for the other eye. You can wear them if they are comfortable, but may find you are more comfortable without your old glasses.
When can I see my optician for new glasses?
You need to wait for 4 weeks to allow your eye to settle fully before measuring for new glasses. In the meantime if you are having difficulty reading you may choose to use a pair of the cheap "ready readers" for the first few weeks.
If my eye drops run out do I need to get more?
Yes please. You can contact your GP, your surgeon or the hospital to pick up some more drops. If you stop the drops too soon you can have a rebound inflammation and the eye can become red and sore.