If you develop cataracts that extensively damage your vision, your ophthalmologist may recommend corrective eye surgery to eliminate the problem. You will go through surgery to remove the diseased lens and replace it with an artificial lens called an Intraocular lens (IOL)
Corrective eye surgery is an outpatient procedure, so you can go home on the same day your eyes receive IOL. As with other outpatient procedures, most of your recovery will take place at home. Since it takes some time for your eyes to get used to the artificial lens, healing can take a few weeks to two months.
Your ophthalmologist will provide you with clear, detailed instructions for your after-cataract surgery recovery process.
What is a cataract?
The lens of the eye is an organ located behind the pupil. It is responsible for refracting light onto the retina so that the optic nerve can send images to the brain.
When there is a problem with the lens, the image processed by the brain becomes blurred, doubled, incorrectly colored, or has other distortions. The issues behind the lens might be due to a variety of reasons. Cataracts are the most common type, especially after the age of 40.
A cataract is a disease that forms turbid, milky, or tan areas on the lens, causing changes in vision. It is due to proteolysis, often due to aging, diseases, trauma, or congenital defects.
Untreated cataracts can cause blindness. Fortunately, cataract surgery has successfully restored vision by removing the diseased lens and replacing it with an Intraocular lens.
If you are diagnosed with cataracts, it can take years for the problem to become severe enough for your ophthalmologist to recommend surgery. When you need the procedure, the surgery usually doesn’t take very long.
Stages of recovery after cataract corrective eye surgery
Cataract surgery is usually an outpatient operation, so you can go home the same day your cataract is removed. This means that most of the recovery process will occur at home and require follow-up visits by an ophthalmologist to ensure that your eyes recover properly.
It is essential to adhere to the ophthalmologist’s recovery guidelines in order to reduce the risk of surgical complications such as inflammation, infections, swelling of the retina, detachment of the retina or lens, pain, and decreased vision.
Your ophthalmologist will give you more detailed recovery instructions and expected timetables, but here are some general recommendations to follow after cataract surgery.
Immediately after surgery: Once the cataract surgery is complete and you are excused from the recovery area, you will be able to return home.
Because your vision will be affected immediately after the operation, driving home is unsafe. It is important to ask someone you trust to take you back after the surgery. Although this is usually an outpatient operation, it is still an operation, and you may feel lethargic or uncomfortable for a few hours after the surgery.
To keep your eyes safe overnight, you can wear an eye patch or a face shield so you don’t bump your eyes or rub them when you sleep.
A few days later: Your eyes may still feel a little strange from the surgery, but these symptoms should begin to disappear within 24 to 48 hours after the operation.
You may need to use a medicated eye drop, which may require cleaning around the eyes. For this reason, be sure to strictly follow the instructions of the ophthalmologist to avoid water accumulation in the eyes, including sterile water.
Be careful not to get soap and water directly into your eyes for the time recommended by your ophthalmologist. Although you should be able to perform normal activities such as bathing within one day after this outpatient surgery, you may still need to protect your eyes.
After one week, you will have another follow-up inspection.
Although you can expect a significant improvement in vision one to three days after surgery, it can take three to ten weeks for your vision to adjust fully.
Your final follow-up examination with your ophthalmologist should be about one month after the operation. This is the full expected recovery time. Your eye doctor should be able to detect any problems that occur after the cataract surgery and take action as needed before the month-long examination.
Total Healing Time
The total healing time can be as long as eight weeks or two months. During this time, your vision should continue to improve. Colors will begin to look brighter, and your sight will get sharper.
Although you are unlikely to recover perfect or 20/20 vision, your vision is expected to be 20/30 or 20/40 without wearing any corrective glasses like glasses. After your cataract surgery, once your eyes have fully recovered, your doctor will give you a final prescription for your lenses.
The vision is most likely restored after cataract surgery
Be sure to follow your ophthalmologist’s instructions for post-operative care and attend all follow-up exams. If you have vision problems, a discomfort that persists or worsens, swelling, redness, or vision loss, you should report it immediately to your doctor.
Since cataract surgery has been performed for decades, the success rate is high, and the incidence of complications is low. If you have any questions, talk to your ophthalmologist for refractive and laser vision correction in Los Angeles to help you learn more about specific cataract conditions, surgical risks, or other eye health issues that may arise.
When you have cataract surgery, most of your recovery time is at home, so it is essential to know precisely how to care for yourself, which your ophthalmologist will clarify.