Caring for Your Eyes

Eye Care Tips After Cataract Surgery

3 September 2020

Ramona Matthews

Most people believe that all surgeries take hours by virtue of being invasive. However, this is not the case in some instances, and an excellent example is cataract surgery. It is a simple, straightforward procedure, and a patient can go back home within a matter of hours. That said, post-cataract surgery care is crucial for a patient's speedy recovery. Therefore, what eye care procedures should a patient adopt to enhance recovery after cataract surgery? Read on for useful insight in this regard.

Do Not Rub Your Eyes

One thing that most patients complain about immediately after cataract surgery is itchiness in the affected eye. As such, most people give in to the urge to rub their eyes to relieve the discomfort. However, optometrists advise that rubbing your eyes after cataract surgery is the surest way to catch a nasty infection. The reason is that rubbing your eyes opens the delicately-closed incisions, thereby making them susceptible to bacteria. For this reason, patients must fend off the urge to rub their eyes. A better approach is to scratch the top of the bandage lightly. While this might not be satisfactory, it is an excellent way to prevent vigorous rubbing.

Vacuum Clean Your House

What does vacuuming your house got to do with post-cataract surgery? Most patients ask this upon its suggestion by an optometrist. Notably, dust is your number one enemy as you go back home to nurse your eyes after cataract surgery. Even a speck of dust in an affected eye will create some discomfort, and you will be forced to rub it. Therefore, your house should be vacuumed before you get home since you need a dust-free environment. Additionally, ensure that you vacuum-clean dust prone areas such as the chairs, curtains, and carpet every few days.

Avoid Binge-Watching TV

Optometrists advise patients to avoid doing strenuous work at least in the first week, post-surgery. Therefore, it is highly likely that you will be staying at home during this period if you have a day job. Notably, it is easy to binge-watch your favourite television shows or movie with not so much to do at home. However, it is the last thing you should do because your eyes are still recovering from the cataract procedure. By binge-watching your favourite shows, you will be exposing the affected eye to too much light, causing it to strain. Therefore, ensure that you limit the time you spend in front of the TV to a couple of minutes every few hours for speedy eye recovery.

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