Sleeping on your back for a few nights after the cataract eye procedure will help prevent you from rubbing and putting pressure on your eyes. If your eye doctor recommends or provides you with a protective shield to wear while sleeping post-surgery, use it.
Sleeping on the back may help prevent dislodging the protective eye shield overnight. It also prevents germs or particles from pillows and blankets from getting into the eye. Those with trouble comfortably sleeping on their back can try sleeping on the opposite side of the affected eye.
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.
Because a person's risk of infection will be higher following any type of surgery, it is extremely important to wear your eye shield following cataract surgery, even when you sleep. In addition to wearing your eye shield at night, you will also want to avoid sleeping on the side that has been operated on.
No strenuous (tough or challenging) exercise for 1 to 2 weeks after most retinal surgery. Light exercise, like walking, may be safe.
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 surgery has a fast recovery rate with only a few restrictions to contend with. With the day of surgery excepted, no bed rest is required. Most patients can return to normal activities the following day.
Try not to be bend over for at least 2 weeks following cataract surgery. Whilst there are some tasks that require bending, such as putting on shoes or pants, try to avoid bending your back. In addition, try not to sneeze or vomit following cataract surgery, and avoid excessive coughing.
Things to avoid
There are several things people should avoid after eye surgery. Avoid bending over for the first 48 hours after the surgery, as this can cause pressure to build up in the eyes and interfere with healing. Try to sneeze and cough as gently as possible for the same reason.
Don't bend over immediately after your cataract surgery.
You don't want to bend over immediately after a cataract surgery for the same reason as above. However, I do say that patients can safely bend over after the first day as the pressure transmitted to the eye is minimal.
As the eyes heal from cataract surgery, a person should focus on maintaining a diet that supports overall health and avoids processed foods, fast foods, excess salt, sugar, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the National Eye Institute (NEI) , most people have cataracts or have had cataract surgery by age 80 years.
Sleep As Much As You Need To
This is perfectly normal and you shouldn't try to fight it. Sleeping is a vital part of the healing process, but you will need to be careful. Bumping or rubbing your eyes while you sleep can cause harm to your fragile, recovering eyes.
Yes; unless your ophthalmologist instructs otherwise, you must maintain the face-down position at all times. This includes when you are standing, eating, walking, sitting or lying in bed. When walking, you should have someone walk with you to avoid injury.
You can resume activities like watching TV or shopping after 2-3 days of surgery. You may resume all your routine household activities after a week.
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.
It is very common to have blurry or unclear vision in the days and sometimes even weeks after cataract removal. Most of the time, this is caused by normal swelling in the eye which occurs as a part of surgery. Patients with larger, denser and/or firmer cataracts are more likely to experience more inflammation.
Cataract surgery and sunglasses
Either way, the surgery has still left your retina vulnerable, and even if you have an IOL with that UV coating, you're still at risk to eye damage due to UV rays. You could even cause your cataracts to return as UV rays are one of the leading causes of cataracts.
While no surgery should be taken lightly, cataract surgery is not considered a “major” medical procedure. In fact, cataract surgery is typically an outpatient procedure, meaning patients are released to return home the same day.
Recovery time varies from patient to patient. Factors such as age, the severity of cataracts, and general health can impact the time it takes to heal from cataract surgery. In general, most patients can expect a “full recovery,” where they can resume normal activities, in around three to four weeks.
After cataract surgery, your eyes are more susceptible to infection and complications. Swimming is a bad idea because water is a place where bacteria can grow. Since your eyes aren't at their best, you're more likely to get an infection from the water.
Can this cause any problems? Answer: Today's cataract wounds are very secure and coughing or sneezing should cause no problem.