Your First Month After Cataract Surgery: What Is Normal and When to Call

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please see the full disclaimer at the end.

Patients often tell us they could not believe how quickly their sight came back after cataract surgery. Even so, healing inside the eye continues for several weeks after vision feels good. Here is what to expect at each stage, so you can tell what is normal and what deserves a phone call.

Key points

• Vision usually looks clearer and colors brighter within the first one to three days.
• After Dr. Feiz has examined the eye, most people resume everyday activities, driving included, within a few days.
• Drops are used for roughly three to four weeks.
• During week one, no eye rubbing, no swimming and no heavy lifting.
• We typically operate on the second eye one to two weeks after the first.
• Around the one-month mark, the eye has settled and a new glasses prescription, if needed, can be written.

On the day of surgery

You will spend about two hours at Aspen Surgery Center, though the procedure itself lasts only around fifteen minutes. Numbing drops and mild sedation keep you comfortable and calm while you stay awake. Because of the sedation, please arrange for someone to take you home.

Later that day, it is common for the eye to water or feel gritty and for things to look hazy or unusually bright. You go home with a protective shield to wear while you sleep. Take it easy, rest your eyes when they get tired, and begin your drops according to the instructions you are given.

Day one: your first follow-up

The morning after surgery, Dr. Feiz sees you at our Walnut Creek office. Many people are struck by how white and vivid colors look. The old lens had yellowed over the years, and now that filter is gone.

Don't worry if the eye is still somewhat blurry on the first day. That is more likely after a dense cataract or when the eye is more inflamed, and it generally improves over the next several days. Once you have been checked and the eye feels comfortable, reading, watching television and using a computer or phone are usually fine.

Days two to seven: let the incision seal

The tiny incision is still sealing during the first week, so this is when the eye needs the most protection.

• Drops: you will usually have an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory drop. Follow the printed schedule we give you.
• Hands off: do not rub or push on the eye, and keep wearing the shield while you sleep.
• Water and makeup: hold off on swimming, hot tubs and eye makeup for seven days.
• Activity: walking is fine right away. Save heavy lifting and hard workouts until the first week is over.
• Driving: most people can drive again within a few days, as soon as their vision is clear enough and Dr. Feiz has confirmed good healing. Remember that the other eye still has a cataract, so use extra caution at night.

During this week it is normal for the eye to feel a little scratchy, to be somewhat sensitive to light, and for clarity to come and go.

Weeks two through four

The inflammation calms down, the drops are reduced, and sharpness tends to keep improving. Exercise, travel and most other activities are back on the table.

While you wait for the second eye, the two eyes may not feel balanced. This is especially noticeable if you used to be nearsighted, because the operated eye now sees distance clearly and the other eye does not. The imbalance goes away once both eyes are done, which is part of why we schedule the second eye fairly soon.

Your second eye

We generally operate on the second eye a week or two after the first. Both eyes are not operated on the same day. Healing follows a similar course. Many patients say the second time feels easier because they already know what is coming.

The one-month visit

At about four weeks, the eye has settled. Dr. Feiz reviews your final vision and can write a glasses prescription for whatever correction you still want. If you chose a standard monofocal lens, that is usually a pair of reading glasses. With an extended-depth-of-focus or full-range premium lens, many people need glasses rarely or not at all.

If you chose the Light Adjustable Lens, the timeline is longer. You return for brief light treatments in our office over the next few weeks to fine-tune the lens before it is locked in, and final vision usually arrives six to eight weeks after surgery.

Warning signs: call us the same day

Problems after cataract surgery are uncommon, but these symptoms should never wait for your next scheduled visit. Call (925) 705-7299 right away if you have:

• vision that is worsening rather than improving;
• pain that keeps increasing or does not ease with an over-the-counter pain reliever;
• more and more redness or discharge;
• a sudden burst of new floaters, flashing lights, or a dark curtain or shadow across part of your vision.

Down the road: the "second cataract"

Months or even years after a good result, some people find their vision gradually turning cloudy again. The cataract has not come back. What usually happens is that the thin membrane holding the lens implant becomes hazy. A quick, painless laser procedure in our office, called YAG capsulotomy, clears it in a few minutes.

Quick answers

When will my vision be clear?
Most people notice a big improvement in one to three days, with continued gains over a few weeks. Things are usually stable at about one month.

When can I get back behind the wheel?
Typically within a few days, after your vision is clear enough and Dr. Feiz has examined the eye. You will need a driver on surgery day.

When can I work out again?
Walking is fine immediately. Wait a week before heavy lifting, hard exercise or swimming, then ease back in.

Questions?

If you are planning cataract surgery and would like to know what your own recovery will look like, including how your lens choice affects the timeline, Dr. Feiz will go over it with you at your evaluation. Call Eye Care of East Bay at (925) 705-7299 or contact us online to request a cataract evaluation.

Medical Disclaimer

This article provides general educational information only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship with Eye Care of East Bay or any of its physicians. Every eye is different, and your own recovery instructions from your surgeon always come first.

Do not delay seeking professional care, or make decisions about surgery or medications, based on what you read here. Talk with a qualified eye care professional about your own situation. If you have sudden vision loss or another emergency, call 911 or seek immediate medical care.