A cataract is a condition where clouding forms in your eyes, blocking your lenses. The main symptom of a cataract is blurred vision. This can make you fail to do your daily chores easily due to the inability to see clearly.
Cataract surgery is a professional medical procedure used to rectify the situation allowing you to have a clear view and enjoy life just like other people. Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly conducted surgery. Most people wonder about what not to do after the surgery to facilitate quick recovery.
A cataract is an opacity in the usually clear lenses of the eye. It can be due to several reasons, primarily age-related, such as old age, intense exposure to sunlight, or diabetes.
This article will cover some other things that you should not do after cataract surgery. These activities can interfere with your surgery, or they can be risky to do as your vision isn’t yet clear.
Things Not To Do After Cataract Surgery
There are certain things you should never do after cataract surgery. You can be reasonably sure if you avoid these, your outcome will be excellent. Some of the most common issues patients have after eye surgery include cleaning and infection control.
Avoid Exposure To Sunlight
Sunlight exposure after cataract surgery is hazardous because it can damage your eyes by UV rays. Therefore, it is advisable to go out on a sunny day until fully recovered from cataract surgery.
Your doctor might recommend wearing sunglasses if it is a must to go out. These will protect your eyes from sun exposure and help you recover quickly and fast.
Don’t Drive
Driving is one of the most popular activities that people do. After the surgery, you might want to get out and drive your car to go about your day-to-day activities. This is, however, not recommended. Your eyes may still have blurred, blurred vision.
Driving your car with blurred vision is dangerous because you will not see the round signs and other vital details while driving. Therefore, refrain from driving your car immediately after the surgery. The best thing to do is find a friend or a family member to help you move around.
Avoid Swimming
Swimming is a fun activity, but when you get cataract surgery, it’s essential to refrain from swimming until you have fully recovered. The goal is to ensure that you don’t get water into your eyes because it contains chlorine that can damage your eyes.
Protect your eyes from water, even in the showers. Avoid these showers that are aimed at your face. This will help avoid water getting into your eyes while bathing. If you must swim, ensure that you keep your eyes above the water.
Avoid Strenuous Activities
You must avoid strenuous activities after almost all kinds of surgeries. The same happens with cataract surgery. Your doctor will require you to entirely avoid challenging the tasks and strenuous activities until you fully recover. Your surgeon confirms that you can begin engaging in strenuous activities.
Strenuous activities increase the risk of complications. It can also increase the chances of accidents. The best thing is to refrain from these stressful activities entirely. Find someone to help you with curious activities such as moving heavy objects, heavy lifting, and more to avoid injuries and complications.
Avoid Wearing Makeup
Makeup helps give us a good look, but this can be dangerous to your recovery from cataract surgery. Makeup can inhibit various bacteria, and your eye is the most susceptible to these bacteria, especially when healing.
It is recommended that you stop wearing makeup after cataract surgery until your surgeon confirms that it’s safe to do so after a recovery. The high-risk makeup includes mascara, eyeliners, eye shadows, and eyebrows makeup. These are applied near to the eyes and can get into your recovering eyes.
Avoid Dusty Areas
Dust is a major enemy to your eyes. The same case applies to your recovering eyes from cataract surgery. You should altogether avoid dusting your home or going to dusty places. When passing through dusty places, it is essential to wear protective goggles to prevent the dust from getting into your eyes.
Dust particles can cause irritation which can interfere with your healing process. Make sure that you refrain from getting into dusty areas.
Refrain From Rubbing Your Eyes
After the cataract surgery, chances of feeling itchy and irritation are high. But it would help if you did not rub your eyes. Rubbing will not improve the situation, but it will worsen and easily cause complications after healing.
The first few days after the surgery can feel stressful, and there is a lot of discomforts. However, these will wear out with time, and soon, the itching and discomfort will fade away. Your surgeon will recommend some painkillers or eye drops to ease the pain and itching.
These are some do the things that you should not do after cataract surgery. Instead, you should make sure that you follow your doctor’s advice to facilitate quick recovery. Some of the things that you should do for safe and quick recovery include;
- Strictly follow your medication as advised by your surgeon.
- Use only the recommended eye drop to ease the discomfort.
- Wear eye shield, especially at night, to avoid foreign material getting into your eyes while sleeping.
- Follow the correct diet routine as advised by your surgeon to facilitate quick recovery.
After cataract surgery, you must be extremely cautious with your eyes to avoid acute situations such as surface irritation or dry eye. Follow the tips that we have listed above, and do not engage in any forms of activities that can harm your eyes or cause complications. Be careful and keep an eye on how you feel after engaging in such activities, and stop them immediately if you experience any discomfort or pain.
You can also contact your surgeon if something doesn’t feel right with your eyes. They will be able to recommend a solution to make you feel better and also evaluate the situation to determine if the recovery is moving on well. You have taken all the precautions required, so everything should be fine from here on, and your cataract surgery recovery should be smooth and quick.
