After your eye surgery

Using your eye drops

Drops are the main part of aftercare. Depending on the procedure, they may include an antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory drop and a lubricant. Your drop chart lists which drops, how many times a day and for how long. Courses after cataract surgery commonly run for about four weeks, sometimes longer, with the number of times a day reducing in steps.

1. Wash your hands with soap and dry them.
2. Shake the bottle if the label says to.
3. Tilt your head back, or lie down. Look up, and gently pull the lower eyelid down to make a small pocket.
4. Squeeze one drop into the pocket. Do not let the tip of the bottle touch the eye, the lashes or your fingers.
5. Close the eye gently for about a minute. Do not squeeze the lids.
6. Wipe away any overflow from the cheek with a clean tissue. Do not press on the eye.
7. If you have more than one kind of drop, wait about five minutes between them.

• If a drop misses the eye, put in another. One extra drop does no harm.
• If you forget a dose, use it when you remember, then carry on as scheduled. Do not double up.
• Keep the bottles capped, away from heat, and follow any storage instruction on the label.
• Use the drops only for the operated eye unless told otherwise, and do not share them.
• Carry on with your regular medicines and regular eye drops unless the surgeon has told you otherwise.
• If someone else puts the drops in for you, they should wash their hands first.

After cataract surgery: day by day, week by week

Cataract surgery at the hospital is usually a same-day procedure, and you go home after a short recovery. The timeline below describes a usual, uncomplicated recovery. Yours may differ, and the dates of your own visits are on your discharge sheet.

The day of surgery

• Go home with an adult. Do not drive.
• Keep the eye pad or shield on for as long as you were told.
• Rest. You can sit up, walk about the house, eat normally and watch television.
• Start the drops at the time written on your chart.
• Take your usual tablets, including those for diabetes and blood pressure, unless told otherwise.
• Sleep on your back or on the side that was not operated on, with the shield on if you were given one.

Day 1: the first check

• A first follow-up visit is usually on the day after surgery. Bring your drops and your discharge sheet.
• The eye is examined, vision and eye pressure are checked, and the drop schedule is confirmed.
• Vision on this day varies. Some people see clearly already, and others are still blurred. Both are common.

Days 2 to 7

• Use the drops as charted. This is the week when missing doses matters most.
• Wear the shield at night if you were given one, so that you do not rub or press on the eye in your sleep.
• Clean the lids, if needed, by wiping gently from the nose outwards with cotton or gauze dipped in cooled boiled water. Do not press on the eye.
• Keep tap water, soap and shampoo out of the eye. Bathe below the neck and wipe the face with a clean damp cloth.
• Wear glasses or sunglasses outdoors for protection from dust, wind and glare.
• Light activity is fine: walking, reading, television, phone, light kitchen work away from smoke and steam.

Weeks 2 to 4

• Carry on with the drops as they reduce step by step. Do not stop early because the eye feels fine.
• Return to ordinary routines gradually, as advised at your follow-up visit.
• A second follow-up visit is commonly arranged around the end of the first week. Follow the date on your sheet.
• Swimming, heavy exercise and dusty work stay on hold until the surgeon says otherwise.

Weeks 4 to 6

• A review is commonly arranged around this time. The eye has usually settled enough for spectacle power to be tested.
• Even with a lens implant, many people need glasses for some tasks, most often reading. This depends on the lens chosen and on the eye. See cataract lens options.
• If the other eye also has a cataract, its timing is discussed at a follow-up visit.

What is normal in the first days

• a gritty or scratchy feeling, as if something is in the eye
• mild watering
• mild redness, or a red patch on the white of the eye
• blurred or fluctuating vision that improves over days
• sensitivity to bright light and some glare around lights
• colours looking brighter or slightly bluish
• mild ache or heaviness, eased by a simple pain reliever such as paracetamol if it is suitable for you

These usually settle over days to a few weeks. Anything that is getting worse instead of better belongs in the warning signs list above.

Do's and don'ts after cataract surgery

A persistent cough, constipation with straining, or repeated sneezing puts pressure on the eye. If any of these is troubling you, mention it at your visit or to your physician.

The usual follow-up schedule after cataract surgery

This is a commonly used pattern. Your own visit dates are written on your discharge sheet and may differ, for example if you have diabetes, glaucoma or another eye condition that needs closer review.

Months or years later: vision becoming cloudy again

A cataract does not grow back. In some eyes, the thin membrane that holds the lens implant becomes cloudy months or years after surgery, and vision gradually blurs again. This is called posterior capsule opacification. It is treated with a short laser procedure, described on the YAG laser page. Gradual blurring like this needs an examination, since other conditions can cause the same symptom.

After other procedures

The warning signs at the top of this page apply to every procedure below. The notes that follow are the points specific to each.

After an intravitreal injection

• A gritty, watery or mildly sore eye for a day or so is common.
• A red patch on the white of the eye at the injection site is common and usually clears over one to two weeks.
• Small dark spots or bubbles floating in the vision for a day or two can occur.
• Do not rub the eye. Keep tap water out of it and avoid swimming for the first few days, or for as long as you were told.
• Use any drops prescribed, and keep the follow-up scan appointment. The next step is planned from it.
• Increasing pain, increasing redness, worsening vision or marked sensitivity to light in the days after an injection needs a call the same day.

More on the procedure: intravitreal injection.

After YAG laser (capsulotomy or iridotomy)

• Vision is blurred for a few hours from the drops and the bright light. Do not drive yourself home.
• After a capsulotomy, new floaters are common and usually become less noticeable over days to weeks.
• After an iridotomy, a mild ache, redness or blur for a day or two is common.
• Use any drops prescribed for the full course, and carry on with your regular glaucoma drops unless told otherwise.
• Most people return to ordinary activities the next day.
• A sudden shower of floaters, flashes of light, a curtain or shadow in the vision, or increasing pain needs a call the same day.

More on the procedure: YAG laser.

After pterygium surgery

• The eye is usually padded until the first check.
• Soreness, watering, sensitivity to light and a feeling of something in the eye are expected in the first week or two.
• The eye looks red at first. The redness fades gradually over several weeks.
• Drops are usually needed for several weeks, with the dose reducing in steps. Completing the course matters.
• Do not rub the eye. Keep water, dust and smoke away from it, and avoid swimming until you are cleared.
• Wear sunglasses outdoors, during recovery and afterwards.

More on the procedure: pterygium surgery.

After ICL surgery

• The precautions are similar to those after cataract surgery: drops on schedule, a shield at night as advised, no rubbing, no water in the eye, no swimming or strenuous exercise until cleared.
• Vision usually improves over the first few days and can fluctuate while the eye settles.
• Eye pain together with headache, nausea, or coloured rings around lights in the hours or days after surgery needs a call straight away.

More on the procedure: ICL.

After corneal cross-linking (C3R)

• If a bandage contact lens was placed on the eye, leave it in place. It is removed at the hospital. If it falls out, do not put it back. Call the hospital.
• Pain, watering and sensitivity to light are expected in the first few days and then ease.
• Vision is usually blurred at first and can take weeks to settle.
• Do not rub the eye, now or later. Keep water out of it, and use the drops as charted.
• Pain that returns or increases after it had started to ease, discharge, or worsening vision needs a call the same day.

More on the procedure: keratoconus and corneal cross-linking.

After laser vision correction

• Use the drops as charted, wear the shields at night as advised, and do not rub the eyes.
• Keep water out of the eyes, and avoid swimming, eye make-up and dusty places until you are cleared.
• Dryness, glare and fluctuating vision are common in the early period. Mention them at your follow-up visit.
• Follow the written sheet for your specific procedure. The details differ between procedures.

Frequently asked questions

How soon will I see clearly after cataract surgery?

Many people notice clearer vision within a few days, but it varies. Vision can be blurred or fluctuate in the first days, and the eye continues to settle over several weeks. How well an eye sees after surgery also depends on the health of the retina, optic nerve and cornea.

When can I wash my hair or take a head bath?

The aim is to keep water, soap and shampoo out of the operated eye in the early period. Bathing below the neck is fine from the start. Follow the date on your written instruction sheet for head baths. If no date is written, ask at your first follow-up visit.

When can I drive again?

Only after the doctor has checked your vision at a follow-up visit and told you it is suitable for driving, and you feel confident. Do not drive on the day of surgery.

When can I go back to work?

It depends on the work. Many people return to desk work within a few days. Work that is dusty, physically heavy or involves water needs longer. Ask at your first follow-up visit.

When will I get new glasses?

The power of the eye takes several weeks to settle after cataract surgery, so glasses are usually tested and prescribed at the visit around four to six weeks. Until then, your old glasses may not suit the operated eye.

I ran out of drops before the course ended. What should I do?

Get a new bottle the same day and carry on with the schedule. Do not stop a course early, and do not carry on beyond the written end date, without asking the hospital.

Should I keep using my glaucoma or other regular eye drops?

Yes, in most cases, including in the operated eye, unless the surgeon has told you otherwise. Check your written instructions, and ask if they do not mention your regular drops.

Can I watch television, read or use my phone?

Yes. Using your eyes does not harm the operated eye. Stop and rest if the eye feels tired or dry.

Who do I call if I am worried?

During OPD hours, call the hospital on 80966 65550. OPD hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 2 PM and 4:30 PM to 7 PM. If you have a warning sign and the hospital is closed, go to the emergency department of a 24-hour hospital and take your discharge papers with you.

Related pages

• Cataract surgery
• Cataract lens options
• YAG laser
• Pterygium surgery
• Intravitreal injection
• ICL
• Keratoconus and corneal cross-linking
• Contact, map and directions
• Patient guide: all pages