Do not drive the first day following surgery. Protect your eyes from bright sunlight and keep the protective shield taped over your eye for several hours according to your surgeon’s instructions. Do not rub or push on your eye. Tape the protective shield over your eye whenever you lie down or go to sleep for the night at least for several days. Avoid bending over and do not do any heavy lifting or strenuous activities for a few weeks.
Within a few days after cataract surgery your vision should begin to improve and most of the discomfort should disappear. Although your vision may be blurry at first your eye will heal and adjust to the cataract removal and to the intraocular lens used to replace your eye’s natural lens. Your eye doctor will usually schedule to see you a day or two after your surgery, and then again after about a month to keep an eye on the healing process. Complete healing often occurs within eight weeks.
Your surgeon my prescribe eye drops and/or other medications to prevent infection and/or to reduce inflammation and to control eye pressure. Some medications may be injected into the eye at the time of surgery. It is normal to feel itching and some mild discomfort for a couple of days, but contact your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:
After cataract surgery, many people need to use prescription glasses at least some of the time. Others buy inexpensive ‘readers’ or magnifiers from their local store. Between one and three months after surgery, your eye doctor will let you know when your eyes have healed enough for you to be tested for prescription eyeglasses. If you have cataracts in both eyes, your doctor will schedule the second surgery after the first eye has completely healed.
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