Cataract surgery recovery 

The eye pad covering your eye will be removed a few hours after surgery. The doctor will examine your eye and replace the pad, which should be kept on for the first night after the operation.

The doctor will provide you with a protective plastic eye shield to wear at night for approximately a fortnight.

A day after the operation, you will probably remove your eye pad and put in prescribed eye drops. Medical staff will have advised you how to use your eye drops properly.

The drops are crucial to the success of your operation and help prevent infection and reduce inflammation. You may need to take eye drops for up to six weeks, although this differs from person to person.

For the first couple of days after surgery, there may be some discomfort, such as eye ache or a scratchy or sticky eye lid, but over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol can help (aspirin may not be suitable as it can cause bleeding).

Your vision may be a bit blurred in the beginning, but you should notice an improvement in a few days. The time this takes varies from person to person.

Your vision should improve as the eye heals, but you may find that your eye takes time to focus in tandem with your other eye. This is especially true if the other eye has a cataract.

Your eye should heal within a couple of months after surgery.

It is highly possible you will need to replace your glasses with a different prescription.

Dos and Don'ts:

• Don't lean forward to wash your hair. You must ask someone else to do it for you
• Don't touch or rub your eye, or you may cause an infection
• Don't do anything strenuous, such as heavy lifting or energetic exercise
• Don't drive until your doctor or ophthalmologist says your eyesight is better

Infolinks:

1. Royal National Institute for the Blind
2. Royal College of Ophthalmologists
3. Moorfields Eye Hospital