Cataract Surgery | What to Expect

If you are considering to have cataract surgery, you most likely have a lot of questions from how safe the procedure is to what are the aftercare instructions and the typical recovery time. The answers to those questions are below:

As long as your health is good and you don’t have any other major eye problems, your recovery from cataract surgery should be short and uneventful. Surgical outcome statistics for those with no other major eye problems show that the chances of a good surgical outcome and sharper vision are excellent.

Outpatient Cataract Surgery

Most cataract surgery is performed at outpatient surgical centers because they tend to be more efficient, have easier parking, and dedicated nursing assistants who are trained in caring for eye patients. The Eye Professionals have two surgical centers, in Burlington County and in Millville.

Uncomplicated cataract surgery often takes no longer than 10 minutes to perform. But immediately after the surgery, you will need to rest in a recovery area until your anesthesia or sedation wears off and you are alert and no longer groggy. Typically this takes about 30 minutes to an hour. During this recovery time you can have something to drink and a light snack.

You must have someone drive you home after the procedure. You’ll be given a pair of sunglasses to wear on the trip home to protect your eye from bright light and glare.

If you are sleepy or tired when you get home, rest in bed for a few hours. Depending on your cataract surgeon’s advice, several hours after the procedure you may be able to remove the protective shield placed over your eye.

Eye Shield and Drops

However, for several days after surgery you will need to tape the shield back over your eye before going to bed at night and during naps to protect your eye from any impacts during sleep while your eye fully recovers from cataract surgery.

You will receive some eye drops and instructions for using them during your post-operative care. Make sure to bring your eye drops with you when you return to your doctor’s office for your post-surgical follow-up exam. Always follow your doctor’s instructions.

This article is for informational purposes only.