How Long is the Recovery for Cataract Surgery?

Full recovery from cataract surgery can take up to eight weeks. However, this certainly doesn’t mean that you’ll need to refrain from many of your favorite activities or be housebound during that time. 

Cataract surgery recovery follows a pathway that’s well understood. While, naturally, each person is different, it’s relatively easy to determine how long the recovery is for cataract surgery in the vast majority of people.

Cataract Surgery Recovery: A Timeline

• The first few days
• Weeks 2-4
• Weeks 4-8

The first few days

Expect your eye to feel gritty and itchy for the first couple of days. Other side effects might include:

• A headache.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Colors may seem very bright.
• Redness in and around the eye.
• Possible bruising around the eye.
• Vision distortion, such as blurred or double vision.

Many people experience much sharper vision, even at this early stage, with distance vision often being the most noticeable.

While you do need to take things easy, this doesn’t mean being immobile. Get up, move around the house, do some gentle exercise (walking is great), read, watch TV, use a computer... All of these actions will promote the healing process.

After 48 hours the symptoms will gradually begin to improve. Any pain will also begin to fade, allowing you to reduce any pain relief you might be taking.

Weeks 2-4 

During this time you should be getting back to normal daily activities, including moderate exercise (don’t lift any heavy weights or do anything where there’s a chance you might receive a blow to the head). The only sports that aren’t advised yet are swimming, high-impact, and contact sports.

You’ll have been given eye drops to use, which are usually continued until the end of week 4. At this point—and depending on the type of intraocular lens (IOL) you’ve had fitted—your ophthalmologist should be able to measure you for new glasses. By this point, your vision should be much improved, allowing you to fully benefit from the operation.

Weeks 4-8 

If swimming is your thing, then this is the time you should be able to get back into the water. Contact sports should also be okay, but do check with your eye doctor before doing so. High-impact sports, such as martial arts or American football, should be resumed under advice from your surgeon.

By week 8, you should be fully recovered.

One of the most frequently asked questions about cataract surgery recovery is when you can drive again. This will vary from person to person—it all hinges on whether your eyesight meets the minimum legal standards. 

For many people, this could be as soon as 24 hours—for others, it might only be appropriate once you have a new prescription. It also depends on the time of day that you want to drive. Night-time can be the most challenging. This is because of light sensitivity during the recovery period. Many people wait until they feel comfortable driving during the daylight before hitting the road at night. 

The sensitivity to light is caused by the brain adjusting to the new IOL, which allows light to freely flow through the eye. Don’t worry, this will reduce and normally go away completely over a few days or weeks.

Get Answers to “How Long is the Recovery for Cataract Surgery?” and other FAQs at the WBEC

At the West Boca Eye Center, we don’t just offer world-leading cataract surgery—our patient care is also second to none. This includes providing you with all the information you need about your upcoming procedure. Plus, this is related to you as an individual, because each of us is unique.

This includes defining how long your expected recovery is for cataract surgery—as well as all the other relevant information surrounding your operation.

Find out more at https://www.westbocaeyecenter.com/services/cataract-surgery and call today to book a consultation.

Full recovery from cataract surgery can take up to eight weeks. However, this certainly doesn’t mean that you’ll need to refrain from many of your favorite activities or be housebound during that time.

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