We, at Round Rock Eye Consultants in Round Rock, wanted to give you some information about how to help with the recovery of your cataract surgery. Our eye doctor wants you to be fully prepared and know how to bounce back quickly from your cataract procedure, so you can get back to doing the things you love, and feel self-sufficient again.
What to Expect
After your cataract surgery, you may notice that your vision seems cloudy. Cloudy, blurry or distorted vision after your surgery is completely normal, and we don’t want you to be alarmed by it. It takes your eyes some time to adjust from the cataract that was removed to the new lens that's been put in its place.
Not only will your vision be a little off, your eyes may appear red and bloodshot. This is another common side effect and is caused by the blood vessels being damaged during the surgery. As your eye begins to heal itself, this redness should dissipate.
If your anesthesia was injected right under the eye, you may appear to have a black eye This will also go away with time and is just temporary bruising from the contact of the anesthesia. All of these little aftermaths of your cataract surgery should disappear well within a few days.
Something exciting to realize is that most patients start to see their vision improve within several hours after the procedure. Each patient is different, though, even if you don’t see improvement this quickly doesn’t mean that the procedure failed.
Within the first 24 hours, you will come back in for a follow-up appointment with our ophthalmologist to make sure everything is healing as it should. Total and complete recovery is about 30 days, but many feel back to normal within the first week.
Things you should refrain from after surgery:
No matter how well you may think you feel, you still want to take precaution.
Don’t Drive
The first day you have your surgery, don’t drive anywhere. We ask that you have a driver for a reason. Even if in a few hours you feel great, still don’t operate a vehicle; give it at least 24 hrs.
No Lifting
We ask that you don’t do any strenuous activities because you may be creating pressure in the eye which is something we don’t want. Rest and relax for at least one week after surgery.
Try Not To Sneeze
This one is a more difficult to control but try very hard not to sneeze right after your surgery; this will create intense pressure in the eyes, and can cause damage.
Be Careful
After surgery, since your vision will be slightly impaired, be careful walking around. Avoid walking into things, such as walls and doors. We suggest just staying in bed for the majority of the first day. This will ensure you are recovering and not doing more harm to your eyes.
Don’t Rub Your Eye(s)
This may be understood, but we like to reiterate this concept because it is imperative you do not rub your eye(s). No matter how itchy they feel, refrain from this because the rubbing creates more damage and could possibly cause an infection, among other things.
Make sure you follow the instructions from our eye doctor at Round Rock Eye Consultants in Round Rock. Also, take these tips into consideration and this will ensure you have the best recovery, and your vision will be restored. Enjoy the benefits of fixing your cataracts and if you ever have questions, call us in Round Rock today!