Cataract surgery is typically a smooth procedure with a postoperative recovery period of around 4-6 weeks. During that time it’s usual to experience some mild side effects, which are completely normal. Of course, any surgical procedure comes with risks. While these are minimal with a cataract procedure, it’s important to know what these might be so you can seek immediate help should anything out of the ordinary occur.
Following any surgical procedure, there are some side effects to be expected. With cataract surgery, you might experience some or all of the following: A gritty feeling in the eyeItchinessSorenessRedness and/or a bloodshot eyeExcessive wateringDouble visionBlurred visionSeeing wavy linesSensitivity to light All of these are to be expected and tend to gradually improve within a few days. In some cases, these can take up to 6 weeks to rectify completely. You might also experience mild pain that can be treated with over-the-counter pain relief. In some cases, you might get bruising around the eye, similar to that of a black eye. This will be a minor response to any injection you may have received in this area. Again, this normally dissipates within a few days.
One relatively common after effect that you might have heard of is something called posterior capsule opacification, or PCO. This is where the capsule that the lens is housed in retains some of the clumping proteins that caused the cataract in the first place. These gather together at the back of the capsule and prevent light from shining through the eye onto the retina as it should. The most important thing to know about PCO is that it is not a recurrence of the cataract. Also, crucially, it’s easily treated with a laser procedure known as YAG. This 5-10 minute process makes a gap through the obstruction, allowing light to flow correctly through the eye once again. It’s estimated that between 10-20% of people who undergo cataract treatment need a further YAG laser procedure.
The most important thing to understand is that serious postoperative side effects following a cataract removal are rare. For most people, the operation is a simple, no-nonsense procedure from which it takes around 6 weeks to fully recover. After this, vision is greatly improved and life can continue as normal.Many people will need both eyes treated for cataract removal. In such cases, this won’t be carried out at the same time. Your eye doctor will advise as to how long you should wait between having each eye operated on. This could be as short as 6 weeks apart if they’ve both evolved at roughly the same rate. Conversely, you might wait a lengthy period between the two as, very often, cataracts don’t form at the same speed in both eyes.While it can be a worry knowing that you’re going to undergo surgery on your eyes, you should take comfort from the fact that cataract removal is one of the most common procedures carried out around the world. The success rate is extremely high and serious side effects are rare. The key takeaway is the positive impact on your life that the operation brings, with better eyesight being something that’s truly beneficial.
It is normal to have some mild side effects while the eye heals. These can include a gritty feeling, itchiness, soreness, redness or a bloodshot eye, watering, double or blurred vision, seeing wavy lines, and sensitivity to light. These are expected and usually improve within a few days, although in some cases they can take up to six weeks to settle completely.
Cataract surgery usually has a recovery period of around four to six weeks, and mild side effects during that time are completely normal. Most ease within a few days as the eye settles, while some can take up to six weeks to clear fully. You may also have mild pain that responds to over-the-counter relief, and occasionally minor bruising around the eye.
PCO is a fairly common after-effect in which the capsule that holds the new lens turns cloudy, because some of the proteins that caused the original cataract gather at the back of it. It is not the cataract returning. It is easily treated with a quick five to ten minute laser procedure called YAG. An estimated 10 to 20 percent of people need this follow-up.
No. Once the natural lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one, the cataract cannot return. Some people do develop a condition called posterior capsule opacification, sometimes loosely called a secondary cataract, which causes similar cloudy or blurred vision. It is not a new cataract and is quickly corrected with a simple, painless YAG laser treatment in the office.
Some blurriness in the first days or weeks is normal. The eye is healing, the muscles that relied on your old glasses need to adjust, and the eye-brain connection has to relearn how to read the clearer signals it now receives. This usually settles as recovery continues over about eight weeks. Blurring that appears months or years later may be PCO, which is easily treated.
Floaters are tiny clumps of protein drifting in the jelly of the eye. Contrary to what many people assume, they are usually not caused by the surgery. They were most likely there all along, and you notice them now because your vision is so much sharper and clearer. Troublesome floaters can be treated, but most simply become less noticeable over time.
Following your surgeon's aftercare instructions closely makes a big difference. That means avoiding anything strenuous for the first few days, using your eye drops exactly as directed, and wearing the eye shield while sleeping and showering. It also helps to avoid swimming and hot tubs, skip eye makeup for at least four weeks, and resist rubbing or touching the eye.
Yes, seeing halos, glare, or streaks of light is common as your eye and brain adjust to clearer vision, and for most people these fade over a few weeks. Wearing sunglasses and avoiding night driving can help in the meantime. However, a sudden shower of new floaters or a dark shadow moving across your vision can signal a retinal detachment and needs urgent medical attention.
