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Following the surgery day, go home and rest. Acceptable levels of activity level are reviewed below.

Your vision will still be blurry, which is normal. Remember, do not drive on the surgery day and do not drink alcohol as we have given you a light sedative.

Do not rub your eye. If instructed, wear a shield over your eye at night until told to do otherwise. You may shower but avoid getting water directly in your eye.

You will be given eye drops to use beginning the day of surgery—an antibiotic and a steroid drop. Please use both drops four times a day until instructed otherwise. Here is one way to apply eye drops:

• Tilt your head back. Pull your bottom eyelid down.
• Squeeze one drop into your eye. Try not to touch the eye with the bottle tip.
• Close you eye for a few seconds.

It is normal to experience:

• Scratchy, sand-like feeling. This is due to slight irregularities at the site of the wound. Using artificial tears to lubricate the eye will help these symptoms.
• Slight eye ache or headache the first day. It’s okay to take Tylenol or a non-aspirin over-the-counter pain medication for this feeling.
• Discharge. Some eye discharge is normal following surgery. Small amounts of mucous may collect in the eye during the day and may be on the eyelashes in the morning. This may be removed with sterile cotton balls or a clean wash cloth and warm water.

Please call us immediately if you experience:

 

• Increase in pain or severe discomfort not relieved by the pain medication
• Loss of vision
• Blows or trauma to the eye sufficient to cause pain
• Increased redness of the eye or pus coming from the eye
• Nausea or vomiting

During the day, please call us at the office at 591-9911. After hours call the Physicians Exchange at 524-2575.

Activities:

Unless your surgeon instructs otherwise, you may resume non-strenuous activities immediately after surgery. This includes: walking, watching TV, reading, bathing or showering (keeping the eye dry for the first few days), eating what you what, bending over to put on shoes or picking something up, shampooing and swimming with your head above water. One day after surgery you may resume more strenuous activities such as golf, jogging, dancing, playing tennis, sex, light weightlifting and moderate exercise.

You may resume all activities after two weeks including swimming with your head under water, scuba, surfing, heavy weightlifting and more strenuous exercise.

Glasses:

New glasses are may be required after cataract surgery. Typically, they may be prescribed in three to five weeks. In the mean time you may wear your old glasses as they will protect the operated eye from bumps and rubbing and help the vision in your other eye.

Some people will experience sensitivity to light after surgery for a short while. We will provide sunglasses that will fit over your old glasses. If you are comfortable in the sunlight, you may go without them.

Post-operative checklist

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