11 Things to do after cataract surgery
Hazy eye sight or unclear vision are some of the symptoms of cataract, which is the condition whereby the lens of the eyes have become less clear, causing visual difficulty for an individual. Early stage of cataract, which does not affect visual clarity, is common among people above the age of 60. However, as time goes by, the lens of the eye will slowly become cloudier and will eventually lead to complete blindness when the lens become opaque.
Actions you should take after the surgery
The main thing the patient should be concerned about after the surgery is that they should do what they can to help themselves recover as fast as possible, so as to least affect their daily activities. In this article we have 5 recommendations for the patients to take after they have gone through their surgery.
1. During the period the patient is awake, the patient should wear sunglasses or spectacles all the time so as to protect their eyes against unforeseen accident that might hit or come in contact with your eyes. If the patients do not have sunglasses or spectacles, they should wear the protective eye cover that the hospital has given them.
2. When the patient is about to go to sleep, they should wear protective eye cover before going to be to avoid any rubbing of the eye unconsciously.
3. It is recommended for the patient to sleep facing upwards. The patients can sleep on the side but with their recovering eye on the opposite side of the bed
4. Patients can watch television or read books but should take a break if they start to feel any discomfort in their eyes
5. The patients can perform normal day-to-day activities such as going out for a walk or going out for dinner but they should avoid bending their head down below waist level.
6. Avoid carrying heavy object, coughing, sneezing, rubbing the eyes and slipping.
7. The patients should be careful not to let water get into their eyes when they are taking a shower. They can choose to get their hair wash at a hair salon instead.
8. The patients can brush their teeth and wash the lower half of their face while avoiding water splashing into their eyes
9. The patients can wash their eyes and the upper face with mildly wet cotton or facial towel. Systematically wash the eyes lids from one side to the other slowly.
10. Patients should avoid doing task that can kick up dirt, dust or smoke and should also avoid foods that give off steam and smoke for at least 7 days.
11. Use eyes drops as per the doctor instruction and come to all the doctor appointments
The patients should carry out these actions for at least 4 weeks after the surgery. If the patients experience symptoms such as eye pain, eye irritation, swelling of the eye lids, sore eyes, red eyes, unclear vision or have collision on the side of the operated eyes, they should immediately contact their doctors.
