Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently completed surgical procedures in the world with around 20 million operations completed every year. In New Zealand, we currently complete approximately 40 thousand operations every year. With advances in technology, modern cataract surgery typically produces excellent results with a low risk of complications.

With improvements in surgical techniques and new lens technology that can provide freedom from glasses, it is now common to have surgery at a younger age to enjoy the benefits of great vision. A vast amount of research has enabled significant improvements in cataract surgery over the past few years. Advances in surgical techniques to improve your recovery time after cataract surgery include:

No-needle anaesthetic for painless surgery and no need for bandages or eye patches after surgery
Self-sealing microincision surgery with no need for stitches
Minimally invasive low-energy cataract removal to provide faster visual recovery
Advanced surgical techniques to safely reduce the duration of surgery
The use of new surgical devices to improve outcomes for higher risk and unusual cases
Same-day surgery for both eyes to provide rapid recovery with balanced vision

Modern cataract surgery is usually highly successful and most people are very happy with their outcome. Improvement in vision after surgery is typically very rapid, however, there are a few tips below to help you enjoy a fast and trouble-free recovery. If you’re considering cataract surgery you may find it helpful to review a checklist of things you can do to prepare before your surgery.

Rapid recovery after cataract surgery — Modern cataract surgery typically results in fantastic outcomes.

Activities to avoid after surgery

A significant infection inside the eye following surgery is a very rare but serious complication that may affect up to one in a thousand people following cataract surgery. There are certain activities to avoid to help reduce the risk of an infection or other issues that may delay your recovery.

Avoid swimming and hot pools, and keep your eyes clean and dry for at least two weeks following your surgery. The micro incisions created during cataract surgery take time to heal. Keeping your eyes clean and dry, and using your eye drops as directed will help reduce the risk of infection. It is fine to shower or bathe after surgery, but avoid getting water into your eyes.

Avoid vigorous exercise and lifting any heavy objects for two weeks following surgery. Light exercise such as walking and cycling is safe. Avoid intense exercise that would result in perspiration, in particular activities that may cause perspiration to enter your eyes. Lifting heavy objects weighing more than a few kilograms can be associated with increasing the pressure in your eyes so this is best avoided while the incisions are still healing. Contact sports or activities that may result in accidental knocks or bumps to your eyes should also be avoided.

Avoid dusty and dirty environments and any eye makeup that may irritate your eyes. It is safest to abstain from gardening, woodworking and other similar activities for the first couple of weeks. Eye makeup can harbour bacteria and other irritants and is best avoided in the first two weeks following surgery.

Avoid late nights in the first few days after surgery. Getting plenty of rest, especially in the first couple of days after surgery, can reduce irritation and speed your recovery. When you rest with your eyes closed, your eyelids provide the perfect environment to help your eyes heal. It is not unusual for your eyes to feel gritty or irritated after surgery. It often takes a couple of days for the vision to improve and it’s not unusual to notice some halo around lights and blurred vision - especially on the first night after surgery. Be sure to use your eye drops and get plenty of rest.

How should I sleep after surgery?

You will be provided with a transparent shield or special glasses to protect your eye(s) after your surgery. It’s advisable to keep the protective shield/eyewear on while sleeping for the first few nights to avoid any accidental eye rubbing, knocks or bumps when sleeping. There are no specific requirements for positioning while sleeping - as long as your eyes are protected you can sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. If your eyes feel achy after surgery some paracetamol and an early night can be helpful. Don’t forget to use your eye drops as directed before sleeping In most cases you will need to use the eye drops at breakfast time, lunchtime, dinnertime and before bedtime. The eye drops are important to prevent infection and ensure a rapid recovery.

When can I drive after surgery?

You will be signed off for driving at your first appointment after surgery. It is a legal requirement to ensure that you meet the driving licence vision standards following surgery. You will not be legal to drive until this has been completed and you would not be covered by your insurance in the event of an accident if you drive before you are signed off. Please let us know if you have an urgent need to drive following your surgery and we can schedule an appointment as soon as possible to test your vision and verify you meet the driving standards. On the back of your driving licence listed under ‘conditions’, there may be a note to state if corrective lenses (glasses) are a legal requirement for driving. We will provide you with a form to send to LTSA to update your licence if required. If you no longer require glasses to drive after your surgery then your new licence will have this condition removed. You can find more information on the LTSA vision and driving fact sheet or visit the LTSA website.

When recommencing driving after cataract surgery it can take some time to fully adapt to your new vision. Immediately after cataract surgery, you can be very sensitive to bright light and sunglasses are highly recommended. If you used prescription sunglasses before surgery these will no longer be safe for driving and should not be used. It can take some time for your brain to adjust and it is advisable to ease back into driving to provide some time to adjust to your new vision. It’s common for people to find that their perception of colour, depth and light may have changed after surgery. It may be helpful to start with driving in good lighting conditions on familiar roads and avoid peak traffic times until you feel confident behind the wheel and with how your vision has changed.

Will I need glasses and when should I see my optometrist?

Depending on what sort of intraocular lenses you selected for your surgery, you may need glasses to help with reading or other activities after your surgery. Most people will benefit from a good pair of sunglasses immediately after surgery as you can be very sensitive to bright light at first. If you selected an Extended Depth of Field (EDoF) or multifocal lenses then you may not require any glasses to read after your surgery, however, if reading for extended periods of time or in dim light, some simple readers can be helpful. With other lens options, some simple reading or driving glasses may be required after surgery. The visual results following cataract surgery are typically very good and most people will have excellent vision without glasses following surgery. Although the vast majority of people experience excellent results following surgery, it’s not possible to guarantee a visual result after cataract surgery. There’s always a small chance that you may benefit from some fine-tuning to provide you with the sharpest possible vision.

It takes approximately one month for the vision to fully settle following surgery. During this time you may wish to use some temporary off-the-shelf reading glasses to help with close vision. Typically +2.0 glasses can be helpful for reading immediately following surgery. One month after your surgery your vision should now be fairly stable. This is the ideal time to see your optometrist.

If you require glasses following surgery, in most cases your vision will remain very stable after cataract surgery. Cataracts cannot come back so you will only require cataract surgery twice (once for each eye) in your lifetime. Unlike before surgery, it is unusual to require regular updates to your glasses after surgery. Your optometrist will be able to provide you with custom-fit glasses that will perfectly suit your visual requirements.

Your optometrist will also arrange ongoing regular eye health checks to ensure that your eyes remain healthy. It is very important to have yearly eye checks with your optometrist even if you do not need glasses. They will be able to screen for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma and other eye issues that can be associated with loss of vision if untreated. In most cases, these conditions will not have any symptoms at first and can be associated with permanent loss of vision if they are not detected and treated early.

Emergencies after surgery

All surgery has a small amount of risk. You will be provided with an emergency number to contact Dr McKelvie after your surgery if you have any problems. If you are concerned, please do not hesitate to call at any time. Although very rare, sometimes adverse events occur that require emergency attention after cataract surgery.

Please call Dr McKelvie if you experience any of the following:

a dark curtain that obstructs some/all of your vision
eye pain not relieved by any medications
nausea and vomiting
severe red eyes
significant loss of vision (some blurring of vision after surgery is normal and will improve over 1-2 days)

Summary

I wish you all the best for a rapid and trouble-free recovery after your surgery! To help with your planning you may like to download a printable summary for after your surgery. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or need an appointment for surgery.

You can book an appointment online or call Gaynor on ☎ 0800 CATARACT (0800 228 27 228) or (07) 834 6335. If you need an appointment to discuss cataract surgery please get in touch and we will do our best to arrange an appointment within the next 1-2 weeks.

For any other questions please feel free to email info@jamesandeye.co.nz

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Advice you need to know for a quick and safe recovery after cataract surgery