Getting Your Vision Corrected Permanently

Cataracts can cause dim, blurred vision as a result of the natural lenses in your eyes turning opaque, or cloudy. Cataracts can also increase glare when driving at night and make colors seem yellowish or not as vibrant. Increasing the strength of your glasses can help improve your vision, however, this is not a long-term or permanent solution. During eye cataract surgery, your doctor removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an intraocular lens implant. Most cataract surgery patients enjoy dramatic improvements in visual acuity. Here are some post-operative care instructions to help promote healing after your cataract surgery.

Avoid Raising Intraocular Pressure 

After your eye cataract surgery, your doctor will ask you to avoid certain things that might raise your intraocular pressure (eye pressure). If your eye pressure rises too high after surgery, it can increase your risk for glaucoma and damage your vision. Because of this, you will need to avoid strenuous exercising, bending over or stooping for long periods of time, climbing stairs, and doing household chores.

If you need to bend down to pick something up off of the floor or to tie your shoes, try to do so quickly without keeping your head down for too long. Taking certain medications such as oral decongestants can also raise your intraocular pressure. Before taking over-the-counter oral decongestants or using decongestant nasal sprays, talk to your eye doctor.

Use Your Eye Drops

You will need to use prescription eye drops following your cataract surgery. Your doctor may prescribe a few different types of eye drops such as anti-inflammatory drops, antibiotic drops, and drops to help maintain your eye pressure.

When instilling your eye drops, make sure that the tip of the bottle does not make contact with your eye because this can injure the surgical site and transfer bacteria into your eye. If you are unable to instill your eye drops because your hands are shaky, ask a family member or friend to help you. You can also call your eye doctor who can recommend ways to make instilling your drops easier.

If you experience signs and symptoms of cataracts, make an appointment with your eye doctor for a comprehensive examination. Eye cataract surgery is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that is typically well-tolerated. It is usually performed with a local anesthetic and an overnight hospital stay is usually not required. After your cataract surgery, you will be able to enjoy clearer and crisper vision for years to come.