Cataract surgery recovery: what not to do afterwards

Recovery after cataract surgery is short: you go home the same day, many people see clearly by the next morning and you can return to normal daily activities straight away. There are only a few rules, but they matter: do not rub the eye, keep water out of it for about a week, avoid heavy lifting and strenuous exercise for about two weeks, and use the prescribed drops for two to three weeks.

If your surgery date is already in the diary, it is natural to wonder what the following days will look like. Can I read? When can I wash my hair? And if the eye feels a little gritty, is that normal? Here you will find the answers, day by day, with the guidance we give to people having cataract surgery at Palazzo Manzoni in Brescia.

At a glance

• Surgery: 10 to 15 minutes per eye, as day surgery, going home the same day with someone to accompany you.
• First 24 hours: vision may be a little blurry and mild irritation is normal. Drops every few hours and sunglasses outdoors.
• Limits: water in the eye usually allowed after one week, lifting and strenuous exercise usually after two weeks.
• Check-ups: the next day and at 3 to 4 months. At one month vision is usually stable, at three months the eye has fully settled.

How long does cataract surgery recovery take?

Rather than a true convalescence, think of it as a period of care. You do not need to stay in bed or shut yourself indoors: you simply need to protect the eye while it heals. This is how it usually goes.

• Surgery day: you go home a few hours later, accompanied by a responsible adult.
• The next day: your first check-up. Many people wake up and see clearly for the first time in years.
• The first two weeks: the refraction, meaning how the eye focuses, settles over roughly one to two weeks. The drops continue for two to three weeks.
• At one month: vision is usually stable.
• At three months: the eye has fully settled. The next check-up is at 3 to 4 months, and all the check-ups needed in the first six months are included.

These timings apply to each eye. Cataract surgery is performed on one eye at a time, usually a few days apart: vision improves in the first eye while the second waits its turn.

Did you know? The word cataract comes from the Latin cataracta, itself from Greek, meaning waterfall. Ancient physicians believed the clouding was a fluid that had flowed down in front of the eye, like a waterfall veiling the view.

Surgery day and the first 24 hours

You arrive in the morning, change and receive anaesthetic drops. The operation uses phacoemulsification: ultrasound breaks up the clouded natural lens, which is removed through a self-sealing incision of about 2 mm, with no stitches, and replaced with an intraocular lens. You feel no pain, just slight pressure and the light of the microscope. After a rest you go home, but not alone: you need an adult to accompany you.

In the first 24 hours your vision may be surprisingly sharp, or a little blurry: both are normal. Mild irritation, such as a gritty feeling, is normal too. At this stage you have three jobs: use the prescribed drops every few hours, keep the eye dry and wear sunglasses when you are outdoors.

After cataract surgery: what not to do

The incision is tiny and seals itself, but in the first days the eye needs protecting. These are the most common mistakes to avoid.

• Do not rub the eye or press on it, even if it itches or waters. If it bothers you, use the drops as directed.
• Do not let water into the eye: this is usually allowed again after one week. You can wash, carefully. For swimming pools and the sea, wait for your ophthalmologist’s go-ahead.
• Do not lift heavy weights or exercise strenuously: these are usually allowed after two weeks.
• Do not stop the drops on your own, even if you already see well: they follow a precise schedule, usually for two to three weeks.
• Do not skip the next-day check-up: it confirms healing, measures your visual acuity and checks the eye pressure.
• Do not drive yourself home. Your ophthalmologist will tell you at the check-up when you can drive again, based on the vision they measure.

What you can do from the first days

The good news is that the list of things you can do is longer than the list of things you cannot. You can return to normal daily activities straight away: moving around the house, walking, going out with sunglasses, reading and watching television. Enforced rest is not needed.

Work depends on what you do. Office work is different from a job that involves physical effort or dusty environments: talk it through with your ophthalmologist, who will give you the right timings for you.

What about glasses? That depends on the intraocular lens. With a lens set for distance vision, you will still need reading glasses for close work, just as before. Other lenses reduce this dependence, with some trade-offs: we cover them in Cataract surgery: how to choose the right intraocular lens.

Did you know? The first intraocular lens was implanted in 1949 at St Thomas’ Hospital in London by the surgeon Harold Ridley. The idea came from treating Second World War pilots: splinters of acrylic from aircraft canopies, lodged in their eyes, were tolerated without reaction.

When to call your ophthalmologist straight away

Mild discomfort in the first days is normal. Some signs, however, should be reported at once, without waiting for the scheduled check-up: severe pain that does not ease, vision that gets worse instead of better, redness or discharge that increases, flashes of light or a dark curtain across your field of vision. They are not a diagnosis, but they deserve a phone call.

Sometimes vision improves less than you hoped. This usually happens when another condition, such as macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, also limits sight: it is assessed before surgery and discussed with you at the consultation. To learn more about the condition itself, read Cataracts: when the world grows hazy.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the recovery after cataract surgery?

You go home the same day and can return to normal daily activities straight away. The main precautions last about two weeks: no water in the eye for about one week, no heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for about two. At one month vision is usually stable.

When can I shower and wash my hair after cataract surgery?

You can wash from the start, taking care that no water gets into the operated eye. This precaution is usually lifted after one week. For swimming pools and the sea, wait for your ophthalmologist’s go-ahead.

When can I exercise again after cataract surgery?

Walking is fine from the first days. Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise are usually allowed after two weeks, once your ophthalmologist confirms it.

Does the eye hurt after cataract surgery?

The operation is done with anaesthetic drops and is not painful. Mild irritation in the first hours is normal. Severe pain that does not ease, on the other hand, should be reported to your ophthalmologist straight away.

When is the second eye operated on?

The eyes are operated on one at a time, usually a few days apart. Vision improves in the first eye, and what is learnt from it helps to plan the second as precisely as possible.

If you are considering surgery or have doubts about your eyesight, the first step is an eye examination. At the Ophthalmology department of the Palazzo Manzoni Surgical Institute in Brescia, you will find the whole pathway on the cataract surgery page, with diagnostics, surgery and follow-up in the same surgical facility. On the Gruppo Refrattivo Italiano website you will find an in-depth page on cataract surgery and the price list (in Italian). You can book your appointment online or by phone on +39 030 294 2437.