Dos and Don'ts After Cataract Surgery
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Dr. Chan Janbon from Isaac KL explains the do's and don'ts after cataract surgery. Patients typically experience mild discomfort, blurry or wavy vision, and should rest for 1-2 hours post-surgery. Driving is discouraged due to potential dizziness or nausea. Key post-op care includes avoiding eye rubbing, heavy lifting, bowing, and activities like swimming or strenuous exercise. Patients should be cautious around dust, avoid direct water contact with their eyes, and follow medication instructions. Recovery can range from days to months, depending on individual conditions and complications. Regular follow-ups ensure proper healing and vision restoration.
Takeaways
- 😌 **No Pain Expected**: Typically, there's no pain after cataract surgery, only some gritty sensation and discomfort.
- 👁️ **Blurred Vision Normal**: Post-surgery, blurry or wavy vision is normal and should clear up within a day.
- 🛌 **Rest Required**: It's advised to rest for one to two hours after surgery, avoiding any head shaking or bowing down.
- 🚗 **Transportation Advice**: Plan for someone else to drive you home as you may feel dizzy or nauseous post-surgery.
- 🚫 **Avoid Eye Rubbing**: Rubbing eyes can cause wound leaks and lens displacement, which is critical in the first two weeks.
- 🏋️♂️ **Limit Physical Activity**: Heavy lifting, straining, and intense exercises should be avoided to prevent complications.
- 💧 **Water Precautions**: Avoid getting water in your eyes, especially during bathing or washing your face.
- 🏊♂️ **No Swimming**: Swimming is prohibited to reduce the risk of infection from dirty water.
- 🍲 **Cooking Considerations**: It's best to avoid cooking; ask for help or prepare light meals if necessary.
- 🛌 **Sleeping Position**: Avoid sleeping face down; side or back sleeping is recommended.
- 💊 **Medication Adherence**: Follow the surgeon's instructions for eye drops, including antibiotics and steroids, for up to a month.
Q & A
What is the normal sensation after cataract surgery?
-After cataract surgery, it is normal to feel some gritty sensation and discomfort, and the vision may be blurry or wavy.
How long does one need to rest after cataract surgery?
-You will need to rest about one to two hours after your cataract surgery.
Why is it not recommended to drive after cataract surgery?
-It is not recommended to drive after cataract surgery because you may feel slightly giddy, nosier, or even vomiting at times, and the blurring of vision may last for one day.
What are the 'don'ts' after cataract surgery?
-After cataract surgery, you should not rub your eyes, lift heavy objects, bow down, splash water into your eyes, swim, do heavy exercises, cook, go to dusty places, or have sexual intercourse.
What is the recommended sleeping position after cataract surgery?
-You may sleep on your left, right, or straight, but not in a prone position after cataract surgery.
How long is the recovery period for cataract surgery?
-The recovery period ranges from just days up to months, but the usual time is one month.
What factors may prolong the recovery after cataract surgery?
-Factors that may prolong the recovery after cataract surgery include dry eyes, a swollen cornea, being a diabetic patient, or being a very old patient.
What happens during follow-up visits after cataract surgery?
-During follow-up visits, your vision and intraocular pressure will be checked, the wound will be inspected for proper healing and signs of infection, and the general well-being of the patient will be assessed.
What types of eye drops are typically prescribed after cataract surgery?
-Typically, you will be provided with antibiotics and steroid drops after cataract surgery.
How long is the medication required after cataract surgery?
-The medication is typically required up to one month after cataract surgery.
How should eye drops be administered after cataract surgery?
-Eye drops should be administered by washing hands first, opening the bottle cap, and instilling one drop into the lower eyelid or eye. After use, close the cap.
Outlines
👁️ Post-Cataract Surgery Recovery: What to Expect
Dr. Chan Janbon explains what patients can expect after cataract surgery, including potential discomforts such as gritty sensations, blurry vision, and slight dizziness. He advises patients to rest for one to two hours after surgery and to avoid head movements that could displace the lens, especially in those with high prescriptions. Driving is discouraged, and patients are recommended to pre-plan their transport home due to potential temporary visual impairment.
🚫 The Don'ts After Cataract Surgery
This section outlines critical post-surgery precautions to prevent complications. Patients are advised not to rub their eyes, lift heavy objects, or bow down, as these actions could disrupt the healing process and cause the lens to move. Avoidance of water splashing into the eyes, swimming, heavy exercises, cooking, and exposure to dusty or polluted environments is emphasized. Dr. Chan also mentions the risks of sexual activity due to potential wound leakage.
🛌 Special Considerations and Resting Tips
Patients are guided on how to sleep and what activities to avoid post-surgery. Sleeping positions such as lying on the left or right are acceptable, but sleeping face-down should be avoided. Activities such as using devices or watching TV are fine in moderation, but patients should take breaks to prevent eye strain. Recovery times may vary, with typical recovery spanning from a few days to a month, although more complex cases may take longer.
🩺 Follow-up Care and Eye Drops After Cataract Surgery
Dr. Chan elaborates on post-surgery follow-up visits, where vision and intraocular pressure are checked. These check-ups ensure that the patient’s recovery is on track and that no complications such as infections or high eye pressure arise. Patients are instructed to follow their surgeon’s advice on using prescribed antibiotic and steroid eye drops. Proper hand hygiene is stressed before applying drops, and the process of administering drops to oneself or others is explained in detail.
💧 Eye Drop Application and Final Notes
This final section provides a step-by-step guide on how to administer eye drops, whether for oneself or another person. Only one drop is needed, and hygiene is a priority throughout the process. Dr. Chan concludes by expressing hope that the video has provided helpful insights into post-cataract surgery care and recovery.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cataract surgery
💡Lens movement
💡Wound leak
💡Blurry vision
💡Eye drops
💡Intraocular pressure
💡Dry eyes
💡Follow-up
💡Heavy lifting
💡Recovery period
Highlights
There is usually no pain after cataract surgery, though some discomfort and blurry or wavy vision may occur.
Patients should rest for 1-2 hours after surgery and avoid shaking or bowing their heads to prevent lens movement.
It’s important to pre-plan transportation home after surgery, as patients may feel giddy or experience blurred vision and cannot drive.
Do not rub your eyes after cataract surgery, as it can lead to wound leakage or lens displacement.
Avoid lifting objects heavier than 10 kg, as straining can lead to wound leakage.
Do not bow down within the first two weeks after surgery to avoid lens movement.
Avoid getting water in your eyes, especially while bathing or washing your face, as this may cause infection.
Swimming is discouraged after cataract surgery due to the high risk of infection from dirty water.
Heavy exercises such as mountain biking, jogging, badminton, and gym activities should be avoided; light exercises like walking or stationary cycling are recommended.
Avoid visiting dusty places or engaging in gardening or painting, as these can irritate the eyes.
Sexual intercourse is not recommended shortly after cataract surgery to prevent wound leakage or lens movement.
Patients should avoid prolonged use of devices like iPads and watching TV to prevent dry eyes and eye strain post-surgery.
Recovery from cataract surgery can take days to months, typically around one month, with longer recovery in cases of mature or complicated cataracts.
Post-surgery follow-ups will include checks on vision, intraocular pressure, and wound healing, as medications can cause side effects like high intraocular pressure.
Patients are advised to use antibiotics and steroid eye drops after surgery, following the doctor’s instructions to reduce their use over time.
Transcripts
hi this is dr chan janbon from isaac kl
today i'll be talking about the do's and
don'ts
after cataract surgery
so now my cataract surgery is done what
happens next
usually there's no pain after cataract
surgery
you may feel some gritty sensation and
some discomfort
the vision may be blurry it may be wavy
but that is normal the next question
will be
when can you go home you will need to
rest about one to two hours after your
cataract surgery
you will need to sit down or lie down to
relax
do not shake your head or bow down
your lens may move especially if you're
a high prescription
patient prior to your surgery for your
transport home
i do recommend you to pre-plan your
journey home
as you may not be able to drive after
surgery
because you may feel slightly giddy
or nosier or even vomiting at times
the blurring of vision may last for one
day
and you may want to have a designated
driver
get a taxi or pre-plan a grab driver for
yourself
now here comes the most commonly asked
question
the don'ts after cataract surgery
do not rub your eyes after a cataract
surgery
as they may cause a wound leak the lens
may also move as well
do not leave heavy objects as
it may cause the straining into your
eyes and the wound may leak
the object not to carry is about 10 kg
or a pail of water
do not bow down as the lens may move
within the first two weeks
of your surgery and do not splash water
into your eyes
especially when you're bathing or
washing your face
just use a towel to wipe your face or
your rice area
next thing not to do is not to swim
as swimming waters are dirty and it may
cause a high risk of infection
do not do heavy exercises as well such
as
mountain biking jogging badminton
gym or even tennis you can do brace
walking
or stationary cycling
as for preparing meals i wouldn't
recommend you to cook
just ask your loved ones to prepare
meals for you
if you have to prepare a meal for
yourself get something light
the next thing not to do is to go dusty
places
such as construction sites or wet
markets
do not do gardening or painting as well
as
irritants or pollens may go into the eye
and cause
irritation to be high i do not recommend
to have sexual intercourse
after your cataract surgery as well as
this may cause a wound leak
for the lens to move
here are some special circumstances that
you may like to know
in a sleeping position you may sleep to
your left
to your right or sleep straight but not
in a prone position you may use
ipads or your hand
or watch tvs but not in a prolonged
period of time
give it a rest since you just did your
surgery
you may feel some dry eye symptoms when
you watch too long
so what is the recovery period of a
cataract surgery
it ranges from just days up to months
but the usual time will be one month
in a mature cataract or complicated
cataract surgery
it may take a longer time for you to
recover
it differs from person to person
there may be some factors that may
prolong a cataract surgery recovery
such as dry eyes a swollen cornea
diabetic patient or very old patient
what are the things that will happen
during your follow-up with
us after your surgery we will be
checking your vision
every time you come back to follow up
with us to make sure that you can see
you will also check your intraocular
pressure
to make sure that it's not high and is
within the normal limits
this is because the medication that is
given to you
may cause a side effect of high
intraocular pressure
or it could be high due to retained gel
in the eyes
during the cataract surgery or it may be
due to
a normal post-op inflammatory process
we also check the wound to make sure
that it's healing properly
and there's no signs of infection
we will look into the general well-being
of the patient as well
make sure you're doing fine next about
putting in your eye drops
you need to put your eye drops according
to the operating surgeon
usually you'll be provided with
antibiotics
and steroid drops the doctor may tell
you to reduce
your eye drops as the day progresses
you will need the medication up to one
month period
remember to wash your hands before
putting in your eye drops
this is to show how to instill
medication into someone else's eye
open the cap of the bottle using your
right hand with a little finger
and instill the medication into the eye
or the lower eyelids of your patient
one drop is good enough just close the
cap
after that next is to show how to put
medication
into your own eyes open the bottle cap
as usual and pull your own lower eyelid
looking into the tip of the medication
tilt your head back and instill just one
drop of medication
into your eyes you can blink a few times
close the bottle again thank you very
much for your attention
hope this video will help you understand
more about cataract surgery
thank you
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
What to expect DURING and AFTER your cataract and premium lens replacement surgery -2022
Cataract and lens replacement day of surgery and postoperative instructions. 1-9-2018
Lasik Expectations - Recovery And Aftercare Days, Weeks, Months After Lasik
What Your Cataract Surgeon Never Told You | FIVE Common *Secret* Side Effects Of Cataract Surgery!
Dry Eye Disease
Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG)
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)