After cataract surgery
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi everyone
Does anyone know when you can go back to gardening after eye surgery? The office of my first surgeon who did my right eye told me not to garden until a month after surgery. The optometrist who examined me after my second eye surgery said after 1 week when I asked him. On the internet it seems like most places recommend waiting 2 weeks after cataract surgery.
There were very few restrictions on the piece of paper that I was given after surgery. I threw out the instructions from the first surgery. So I am unclear when I can bend over, lift more than 15 lbs, wash my face, stop wearing sunglasses outside and do dusting. I would greatly appreciate your input.
Also this doesn't apply to everyone but before my left eye surgery I bought a magnifying glass to wear on a chain around my neck. The magnifying glass was so helpful the day of the operation because I found that I could not read anything. It is still useful and I use it often.
0 likes, 4 replies
RonAKA teresa13383
Posted
My basic instructions were:
Use the eye shield for the first 5 nights
Don't rub the eye, use fresh Kleenex gently if it gets wet
No lifting that causes strain, lifting without strain is ok
Avoid all sports for 1 week
Avoid dusty environments for 1 week
Don't swim for 1 week
Bath is preferred to shower, but shower is ok if you can avoid getting water in the eye
Wait 1 week before using cosmetics
I only wore the dark glasses until the pain from light changes went away - couple of days. I think the most important thing is maintaining the eye drop routine as instructed.
Bookwoman teresa13383
Posted
Go ahead and garden after 2 weeks, but do wear glasses of some kind while doing so until your eye is completely healed, which is usually 6 weeks. As a fellow gardener, I've accidentally gotten soil or a twig in or near my eyes, and glasses will likely prevent any such disasters from happening.
And you can certainly wash your face right away - just use a washcloth, rather than splashing water on your face with your hands.
Sue.An2 teresa13383
Posted
Gardening should be ok after a week. If bending over vs using knees I would wait additional week as it puts pressure on the eyes.
I wear sunglasses outside all the time but if don't maybe protective glasses would be good to protect your eyes from dust, dirt or debris.
teresa13383
Posted
Thank you all so much for responding to my questions. They are a great help to me. I am buying a wraparound pair of sunglasses from Amazon to wear when gardening. I dont see how I can avoid bending over but maybe after 2+ weeks it will not affect my eyes too much.