After cataract surgery, expect your vision to begin improving within a few days. Your vision may be blurry at first as your eye heals and adjusts.
You’ll typically see your eye doctor a day or two after your surgery, the following week and then again after a month to monitor healing.
It’s normal to feel itching and mild discomfort for a couple of days after surgery. Avoid rubbing or pressing on your eye. Your doctor may ask you to wear an eye patch or protective shield the day of surgery. Your doctor may prescribe eye drops or other medication to prevent infection, reduce inflammation and control eye pressure. After a couple of days, all discomfort should disappear. Often, complete healing occurs within a few weeks.
Contact our office immediately if you experience any of the following:
- Vision loss
- Pain that persists despite the use of over-the-counter pain medications
- Increased eye redness
- Light flashes or multiple spots (floaters) in front of your eye
- Nausea, vomiting or excessive coughing
Most people rely on glasses, at least some of the time, after cataract surgery. Your doctor will let you know when your eyes have healed enough for you to get a final prescription for eyeglasses.
If you have cataracts in both eyes, your doctor typically schedules a second surgery within a month to remove the cataract in your other eye. This allows time for the first eye to heal before the second eye surgery takes place.