Posted , 6 users are following.
I live about an hour from the surgery center where my cataract surgery will take place. I would like to know how long after the surgery can I drive, both in terms of (1) driving safety and (2) not causing the new toric IOL to potentially shift position due to eye movement when driving? Many thanks!
0 likes, 14 replies
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soks judith93585
Edited
after my first surgery the corneal edema (foggy vision) lasted from 10AM to 8PM. after my second surgery it lasted from 10AM to 3.30PM. it would be difficult to drive with foggy vision in one eye especially if it is your first surgery. i would be comfortable driving 48 hours after surgery. my dilation wore off 24 hours after surgery. i dont know the care required to prevent toric rotation. good luck.
RonAKA judith93585
Edited
The advice I was given was not to drive for 24 hours after surgery. This is due to the sedation used for surgery and the dilation drops impairing vision. I don't believe movement of a toric lens is an issue of consideration. Resistance to movement will be the result of the skill of the surgeon and how they position the lens and the haptics inside the capsule in the eye. It is kind of a done deal, once the surgery is over. However, standard practice is for the ophthalmologist to do a detailed exam 24 hours after surgery to check the position, and if necessary go back in to adjust it.
Guest judith93585
Edited
Typically you will have a follow-up appointment the day after surgery and it will be at that point that your surgeon will likely give you the okay to drive if everything went well and your acuity is good.
judith93585 Guest
Posted
Thanks David! I was wondering how I would manage with different vision in each eye. My doctor said I might need some help, different glasses I guess? but I'm not sure. It's a one hour drive home. Maybe I'll need to Uber!
RonAKA judith93585
Posted
It is best to have someone drive you to the clinic and take you home afterward. You may want to check out what restrictions the clinic may have. I recall the @Spring1951 arrived at the clinic for surgery and they refused to do it because of no arrangements were made for a drive home.
Guest judith93585
Edited
Your clinic / doctor can advise you of course but I don't think you want to drive yourself home from surgery. I had some pretty crazy "light show" effects in the operated eye in the hours after surgery (and into that evening) and my other eye still had a bad cataract. Not advisable.
judith93585 Guest
Posted
Thanks David! Were you able to drive at all before having the second surgery?
Guest judith93585
Posted
I am still waiting for the second surgery. I was given the ok to drive by my surgeon the day after my first surgery (roughly 24 hours). My eye was done for distance. Where I live the minimum legal requirement for driving is at least one eye that can achieve 20/40 or better with or without correction.
judith93585 Guest
Posted
Thanks David. It sounds like until you have the second surgery, you won't meet the legal requirement for driving? Alternatively, have you started driving since you do meet the legal requirement? Just wondering how you find driving (if you are driving) with two very different eyes?
RonAKA judith93585
Edited
There are a couple of options for managing when only one eye has had surgery. One would be if you have some prescription glasses that give you decent vision in the non operated eye, then just get the lens removed for the eye that was operated on. The other is to wear a contact in the non operated eye. That tends to work better if there is a large discrepancy in the correction for each eye.
Guest judith93585
Edited
I do quality. As I mentioned earlier I was given the okay to drive the day after surgery. My operated eye is 20/20 which would qualify me even if i was blind in my other eye… but my other eye is 20/40 with glasses. So I easily qualify.
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Driving is perfectly fine. I did find the difference between my eyes a little disorienting at first and using glasses was also a little disorienting at first (in a different way) but I quickly got used to the glasses. A contact would work better but I don't like contacts. The prescription in my glasses is -4D Sphere / -0.5D Cyl and 0D Sphere / -0.75D Cyl
judith93585
Edited
Thanks Ron! Agree, it would be very important to be sure about rules regarding driving home.
Bookwoman judith93585
Edited
Indeed: if you're having any kind of sedation they probably won't let you go home alone. My surgeon's office requires that you have someone there to drive you home, and suggests you have someone with you for the few hours after the procedure, as the sedation can lower your blood pressure and you're more prone to falls, fainting, etc.
If you just have local anesthesia of course that's not an issue, but given the discrepancy between your eyes and the fact that you'll be very light-sensitive in the operated eye, I would have someone go with you if that's possible.
Lynda111 judith93585
Posted
I had to have my friend sign a paper stating she would drive me home after surgery before they would let me in the surgical suite. That's for the surgical center's protection and yours.