Recovery after the operation

In the great majority of cases, recovery from cataract surgery is straightforward and quick. Here is what to expect in the days and weeks that follow, and the right habits to heal well.

An improvement in vision is often noticed as early as the next day, even if vision may stay a little blurred at first. It sharpens and stabilizes gradually over a few weeks. It is normal to feel a slight gritty sensation, or a slightly red or watery eye in the first few days.

A treatment with antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops is prescribed for about a month. This is essential to success: follow the doses and duration. Wash your hands before each instillation, do not touch the eye with the bottle, and wait a few minutes between two different drops.

• The protective shield: wear it at night for about a week so you don’t rub the eye while sleeping.
• Do not rub the eye and avoid water or soap getting into it while washing.
• Avoid swimming pools, hammams, dust and dirty environments for a few weeks.
• No eye makeup and no lifting of heavy loads in the first few days; gradual return to sport.

Driving can generally resume after the first check-up and your ophthalmologist’s approval, often within 24 to 72 hours. Returning to work depends on your job: quick for office work, more cautious in dusty or physical environments.

A check-up takes place the very next day, then after a few days and at about a month. New glasses, if useful, are prescribed once vision has stabilized, generally three to four weeks after surgery.

Broadly: in the first few days, vision clears but can fluctuate; after a week, the eye is generally more comfortable and precautions ease; around three to four weeks, vision stabilizes and a final glasses prescription becomes possible. Each eye recovers at its own pace, and your ophthalmologist adjusts the instructions at each check-up.

You can read, look at a screen and walk normally from the first few days: this does not tire the operated eye. Above all, avoid rubbing it, lifting heavy loads and exposing it to water or dust. Most patients return to normal life very quickly.

Marked pain, significant redness or a drop in vision in the operated eye should prompt you to seek care quickly. These situations are rare, but they are treated all the better when caught early. See Side effects and complications.