How long before you can sleep on your side after cataract surgery? People should try to avoid sleeping on the same side of the operated eye for 1 week. However, if they wear a protective shield securely overnight, their eye should have enough protection, even if they unintentionally end up sleeping on that side.
You will need to be careful not to sleep on the side with the recovering eye in addition to wearing your eye shield. This will reduce the risk of irritation and infection in the eye and help speed up your recovery process.
take it easy for the first 2 to 3 days. use your eye shield at night for at least a week.
Complete healing usually takes around 8 weeks. Here are some precautions to follow in the first week after surgery to avoid infection or eye injury: Don't drive on the first day of recovery. Avoid heavy lifting or vigorous activities.
Cataract Microsurgery
These small incisions seal themselves immediately after surgery and heal over the following few weeks.
Washing Your Face and Hygiene after Cataract Surgery
You can resume activities such as washing your face the day after surgery, as long as you are careful to not touch the eye. You shouldn't splash water directly on your face and instead, use a washcloth to carefully clean.
Patients with a dislocated IOL may experience a decrease or change in vision, diplopia, and/or glare. Additionally, they may report ocular pain or headaches from intermittent angle-closure and/or inflammation. Some patients also report seeing the edge of the IOL.
You can discard your eye shield the morning after your cataract surgery, but it's still advisable to sleep on your back for a couple of weeks so your eye doesn't come into contact with your pillow and pick up any particles from it. This will help your eye to heal and reduce the risk of infection.
You should wear sunglasses after cataract surgery. Make sure the sunglasses you are wearing help to provide you with adequate protection from the sun's harmful UV rays. We recommend choosing a pair of sunglasses that are 100% UV protected.
Intraocular lens (IOL) dislocation is a very rare condition that affects patients who have undergone cataract surgery and consists of the displacement of the implanted lens towards the vitreous cavity of the eye.
After cataract surgery, you'll feel tired and want to rest for the remainder of the day. And if you still feel tired the next day, don't fight the temptation to get more sleep. Go with it. Sleeping a lot is how your body heals itself.
What Happens if You Bend Over After Cataract Surgery? You should not bend over after cataract surgery for at least 2 weeks. Bending over will place pressure on the eye and this may cause unnecessary complications to your eye. The main complication will be a delay in the healing process.
Blurred vision is a common reaction to cataract surgery because your eyes need time to heal and adjust to the lens your doctor implanted. Blurry vision can vary from patient to patient—some people may have blurry vision for a day, while others experience blurriness for several days.
After cataract surgery, a person should focus on eating a nutritious diet that promotes healing. Foods to avoid include refined carbohydrates, sugar, salt, and processed foods. People should also avoid tobacco and alcohol, which can slow healing and increase inflammation.
It's fine for you to read and watch television after cataract surgery, although your vision may be a little blurred for the first few days.
You may be up and about, bend over to pick up objects or put on shoes. Using reasonable care, you may bathe or shower, wash hair, shave, brush teeth, read, write, watch TV, ride in care, climb stairs or go for a walk. Driving is permitted, following your first post-op visit, if the other eye sees well enough.
Cosmetics shouldn't be worn on the eyes for at least the first week of the healing process. You should also avoid applying moisturizing creams or gels to the eyes or getting water in your eyes when showering or washing your hair.
Limit Strenuous Activity
“Positions that put your head below your waist, such as bending over, can also increase eye pressure and should be avoided initially after surgery.”
People should avoid bending over for up to 48 hours after their cataract surgery, but sometimes this is unavoidable. For example, tying up shoes or putting on pants.
Immediately after surgery, you shouldn't be bending down or lifting at all. Once you're cleared for light exercise, you should still minimize bending over to a point where blood rushes to your head. You should also avoid lifting anything that weighs more than 5 to 10 pounds.
You can shower or wash your hair the day after surgery. Keep water, soap, shampoo, hair spray, and shaving lotion out of your eye, especially for the first week. Do not rub or put pressure on your eye for at least 1 week.
As you blink, the drops spread over your eye, numbing the surface. This allows you to feel no pain or discomfort during the surgery. When the eye is completely numb, an instrument will be used to hold your eye open while the procedure is completed.
If you do get anything in your eye, whether it's shampoo or any other foreign body, it can impede the healing process and potentially cause infection and other post-operative complications.