Cataract surgery involves minimally invasive removal of the cloudy lens and implantation of an intraocular lens, which takes about 10 to 30 minutes, but post-cataract surgery care takes up to 1 to 2 months.
In addition to following the doctor's instructions for medication, follow-up visits, and maintaining eye hygiene, how should patients take care of themselves to speed up the recovery time after cataract surgery?
How long do I have to rest after cataract surgery?
Modern cataract surgery is minimally invasive, usually with a 0.2 cm wound. Therefore, exactly how long to rest after cataract surgery depends mainly on the individual's vision recovery.
In general, most patients can see clearly by the second day after cataract surgery. With careful care, vision can be fully restored within 1 week to 1 month after cataract surgery.
However, we generally recommend that patients after cataract surgery use both eyes normally as soon as possible to speed up the recovery time after cataract surgery. Within a few hours of cataract surgery, if you can see clearly, you can do daily activities such as watching TV, using a computer, eating, and showering.
However, cataract surgery should be followed by careful care, medication as recommended by the doctor, eye cleaning, strenuous exercise and heavy lifting. When the eyes are tired, they should rest properly.
Precautions after cataract surgery
Although cataract surgery is considered a minor surgery, neglect of cataract surgery can lead to intraocular infections and even the risk of blindness. Therefore, proper cataract postoperative maintenance is crucial.
- Follow your doctor's instructions to clean your eyes and avoid scratching your eyes.
- Avoid collisions, heavy lifting, or strenuous exercise for 1 month after surgery to avoid affecting wound healing or displacement of the intraocular lens.
- Avoid bending over to wash your hair for 2 weeks after surgery, and avoid splashing sewage in your eyes when showering.
- Wear an eye mask before going to bed.
- Wear sunglasses when you go out to prevent light from shining on your eyes.
- If you have eye discomfort for a long time, such as severe pain, severe redness and swelling, and vision loss, please treat it immediately.
After-effects of cataract surgery
Cataract surgery is a safe and effective treatment, but there may still be some potential sequelae, but there is no need to worry too much, most of the sequelae of cataract surgery are mild or rare, as long as the vision can be restored with careful care or timely treatment after cataract surgery.
Here are some possible cataract surgery sequelae:
- Seeing flashes or shadows: It's fairly common to feel some flashes or shadows within a few hours or days after cataract surgery, but these symptoms go away in a short period of time and don't cause much concern.
- High intraocular pressure: In some cases, it may cause an increase in intraocular pressure after surgery, which usually disappears after 24 hours. If the intraocular pressure continues to rise, then it may be a problem with residual crystal cortex, inflammation, viscoelastic residue, etc., and you need to seek medical attention immediately.
- Light sensitivity: After surgery, patients may be more sensitive to bright light, so remember to wear sunglasses when you go out. Over time, the eyes will naturally adapt and the symptoms of light sensitivity will lessen.
- Posterior capsule opacity: After surgery, some patients may have blurred vision due to the proliferation of epidermal cells in the posterior capsule surrounding the lens. This condition can be corrected with laser treatment, which can improve the symptoms of the eyes.
- Retinal detachment: If you suddenly see something floating or flashing lights at some point after cataract surgery, making it difficult to see what is in front of you, it is most likely a symptom of retinal detachment, and consult an ophthalmologist immediately for further treatment.
- Floaters: Some patients find black spots in their eyes after cataract surgery, because their vision was too blurry before cataract surgery to detect the presence of floaters. Floaters are one of the symptoms of eye aging, and if there is no sudden increase in black spots, you can ignore it.
Patients should take proper care of cataract surgery and follow up on time, and seek immediate assistance from an ophthalmologist if there are unusual visual changes after cataract surgery.
Cataract Surgery Frequently Asked Questions
1 to 2 weeks. After cataract surgery, patients will suddenly feel that the environment becomes brighter and that they can see things clearly, which may cause them to feel uncomfortable with luminosity. Therefore, during the 1st and 2nd weeks after surgery, we recommend that patients wear sunglasses to help their eyes adjust to the light environment.
After the 2nd week or 1 month postoperatively. Although the wound after cataract surgery is small, there is still a risk of infection. When washing your hair yourself, sewage may splash on your eyes, so it is recommended to ask someone else to wash your hair as much as possible within the second week or one month after the surgery, and you must lie flat or on your back when washing your hair to reduce the risk of infection.
1 month. We cannot guarantee that you will not touch water for 1 month after cataract surgery, but what you can do is to avoid contact with water as much as possible. Consider using a face wipe instead of water when washing your face, while eye secretions can be cleaned with cooked water to prevent bacterial infection.
After cataract surgery, it usually takes about 1 month to ensure the stability of the intraocular lens. During this time, as long as you avoid heavy lifting and strenuous exercise, you can basically return to your normal life or return to work the next day after surgery. If possible, it is advisable to take appropriate rest for the first week after surgery. However, patients still need to take good care of their eyes after cataract surgery and follow up on time.
Generally speaking, the vision will be significantly improved the day after cataract surgery, as long as you pay attention to maintenance after cataract surgery, your vision can be restored to 8~9% within 1 week. If the vision is completely restored and the wound is completely healed, it usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks, and the prescription will be relatively stable at this time.
No. However, about 5% of patients will feel that their vision will gradually become blurred after a period of surgery, because the epidermal cells proliferate in the posterior capsule, causing the posterior capsule to become cloudy, which can be improved with laser treatment. Therefore, when vision changes occur after cataract surgery, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible and treat them in time.
