At CLIENT NAME we want our patients to be aware of the full scope of cataract surgery so you can anticipate the steps of the procedure, the healing process and recovery time. The full recovery period of cataract surgery typically lasts around 8 weeks, with several follow-up appointments included in that timeframe to ensure proper healing. We are often asked, “how long after surgery do I need a follow-up visit?”
Believe it or not, you will return to the doctor’s office the next day after surgery. It is not uncommon to have side effects such as blurry vision or double vision in the 24 to 72 hours post-surgery. You may also experience a gritty feeling in the eyes as if a speck of sand could be in your eye; if so, avoid rubbing or scratching it to prevent infection. The day following your surgery, your doctor will make sure that the eye is healing properly and that the side effects you are experiencing are typical of the surgery and not related to any actual vision loss. When you are discharged after surgery, your doctor will provide you with prescribed eye drops to maintain the health of your eye and aid in healing. The directions for the eyedrops may change based upon how well the eye responds to treatment. For this reason, patients come back the day after surgery so that the eye surgeon can carefully monitor the response of the eye to the medication.
Additional follow-up appointments will be scheduled 1-2 weeks after surgery. Also, around this time patients will be advised to see their regular eye doctor for an updated eyeglasses prescription. Then 2-3 months after surgery, patients will return to the surgeon’s office for another follow-up appointment to check on the healing of the eye. For patients who need cataract surgery on the other eye, this may be the time to schedule the secondary surgery if the first eye is healing properly. If at any point during recovery a patient experiences the following, contact the eye doctor right away: vision loss, pain that persists despite prescribed medication, increased redness in the eye, flashes of light or an onset of eye floaters or excessive bruising that does not improve.
Staffed by a team of knowledgeable and caring professionals, Pendleton Eye invites you to visit our state-of-the-art surgical facility to learn more about our eye acre practices and solutions. To see if cataract surgery is right for you, contact Pendleton Eye at 760-758-2008 or schedule your appointment here WEBSITE.
